YORK City are looking to add two more players to their squad for the new season, but free-scoring Blyth Spartans midfielder Dale Hopson will not be one of them.

Hopson, 25, has been linked with a move to the Minstermen, having played for City chief Martin Gray previously at Darlington.

But Gray has ruled out a reunion with the player who bagged 30 goals in all competitions for Evo-Stik Northern Premier League outfit Whitby Town during the 2016/17 campaign, before netting 12 times in 42 outings a division higher with Blyth last term.

On finalising his close-season recruitment plans, though, Gray added: “We are hoping to tie up two more signings and are very close with one in particular.”

City have made five signings since the end of last season with Russell Penn, Wes York and Jordan Burrow all arriving from Gateshead, while defenders Kallum Griffiths and Tom Allan were brought in from Spennymoor and Alfreton respectively.

They have joined 11 existing contracted senior players - Adam Bartlett, Ryan Whitley, Josh Law, David Ferguson, Dan Parslow, Hamza Bencherif, Sean Newton, Simon Heslop, Adriano Moke, Jon Parkin and Alex Kempster - on the Bootham Crescent books, which are bolstered by teenage trio Josh Rogerson, Harry Thompson and Flynn McNaughton, who have all agreed first-year professional terms.

Kempster was one of just two out-of-contract pros offered a new deal this summer, but Louis Almond chose to move on to National League North rivals Chorley, with Gray explaining: “We offered him a short-term contract, but he had the opportunity of a long-term deal so that was better from his personal point of view.”

Elsewhere, Connor Smith has joined released fellow former City duo Daniel Rowe and James Gray at Evo-Stik League Frickley Athletic.