Ross County manager Jim McIntyre has put an attacker at the top of his summer shopping list following the loss of leading scorer Liam Boyce to Burton Albion.
The Northern Ireland international joined the English Championship club on a three-year contract on Tuesday after the Brewers met the £500,000 release clause in his County contract.
Boyce has been crucial for County in the three years since he joined from Cliftonville in 2014, scoring 55 goals in 115 appearances.
The 26-year-old’s departure leaves a void as Boyce scoring 23 of County’s 48 league goals last season and McIntyre, pictured below, will now step up his efforts to find a replacement.
He has also urged attackers Alex Schalk and Craig Curran to grasp their chance.
McIntyre said: “We’ve been looking for a number of months to try to strengthen in attack.
“Of course it becomes more of a priority now and we’re actively looking for another goalscorer.
“We can’t have too many of them.
“It’s got to be the right person and the right fit for County though. It’s also up to the players we have at the club to step up.
“We’ve got two really good forwards in Alex and Craig secured for next year, and we’ve also got young Greg Morrison who we have high hopes for.”
Boyce joins former County team-mate Jackson Irvine in making the move to Burton, with the Australia international midfielder going on to win the Brewers’ player of the year award after joining last summer.
McIntyre was powerless to prevent Boyce moving south and added: “Any player who scores 24 goals for any team is going to be a huge loss.
“But at the same time I understand that when a Championship club comes calling, it’s always going to be difficult to hold on to the player because of the resources they have.
“They’re able to pay a transfer fee, and there’s also the salary on offer from those clubs down south.
“Of course I’m disappointed for County and for the team, but I’m pleased for Liam because, like Jackson Irvine, we want to see players move on to the next level.
“That’s our job as coaches, to try to help players improve and further their careers.
“If that means they move on we wish them well. That’s the name of the game and we have to accept that will happen.”