CHARLTON'S wage bill has been slashed from £27 million to £11 million, prompting an anticipated exodus of players.

Following Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink's release, defender Hermann Hreidarsson activated a clause in his contract which enabled him to move on a free transfer.

Luke Young is likely to be reunited with former manager Alan Curbishley at West Ham. Talal El Karkouri and Souleymane Diawara are also leaving, while Kevin Lisbie, Thomas Myhre, Mark Staunton, Nathan Ashton, Radostin Kishishev, Myles Weston and Rurik Gislason have been released.

Midfielders Matt Holland and Bryan Hughes have been offered extensions to their existing deals but are expected to move on.

Central defender Jonathan Fortune, who spent the final months of last season on loan at Stoke, is wanted back, though his £9,000 a week wages are a stumbling block.

But Darren Ambrose and Jerome Thomas look set to stay and manager Alan Pardew has not given up hope of retaining midfielders Alex Song and China captain Zheng Zhi for a further season.

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