Former Hearts star Kyle Lafferty has rubbished claims he turned down a new deal at Kilmarnock - and insists he wanted to play for them in the Championship.
The Northern Irishman was on international duty when he discovered there was to be no new contract after Kilmarnock released a statement declaring that he had decided to leave.
He was named alongside Greg Kiltie and Kirk Broadfoot but Lafferty insists he had no intention of walking away from Rugby Park in the summer.
He was one of the few Kilmarnock players who got through last season without any criticism after netting 13 goals in 13 games since joining in February.
He was unable to save them from relegation and as a free agent, is likely to be linked with a return to Tynecastle in the summer.
He impressed during his last spell at Hearts but it's unlikely the club would go down that route at this time, and Lafferty is likely to go elsewhere.
But he felt he needed to clear up his situation at Kilmarnock and he was unimpressed with how the Championship new boys acted.
He told the Sunday Mail: “I was with the Northern Ireland squad in Ukraine when I read that I’d decided to move on from Kilmarnock, it was extremely disappointing. It just isn’t true that I’ve walked away, the opposite is true. I loved the time I had there and wanted to stay.
“My aim was to be a part of the bid to bounce straight back to the Premiership next season but the club have announced that won’t be happening. The club spoke to my agent, he told them what I was looking for and I wasn’t asking for the earth or to give the boss Tommy Wright a heart attack.
“Contract talks are all about negotiation but there was none of that, we heard nothing, just an announcement on the official club website that I and several other players had decided to move on.
“It’s a disingenuous statement, the fans deserve to know what the situation is as it’s not right to have players thrown under the bus because of the relegation.
“My aim is stay at Killie and help the club come straight back from the Championship next season but the club have now said I’ve moved on.
I’d like the Killie fans to know it’s not the case that I have rejected the chance to stay at the club. The truth is that I wanted to be part of the plans for next season.”
