Mansfield Town have today sold winger Rob Taylor to Sky Bet League Two rivals Tranmere Rovers for an undisclosed fee.

The 29-year-old, who made 21 appearances since joining the Stags from Port Vale last summer on a free transfer, expressed a desire to leave the club and has been granted a move.

Stags’ manager Adam Murray said: “Rob came to us last week and expressed a desire to move on to another football club. There were certain circumstances which played a factor in that; one was regarding the travelling time it was taking Rob to get in to the club.

“He wanted to be closer to home and his wife has just gone on maternity leave. Tranmere have offered him next year [in the length of contract signed] and a better financial package.

“Once I knew that Rob’s ‘head had been turned’ and he had his eyes on somewhere else, it was a decision we had to come to with Tranmere.”

The manager added: “When a player isn’t 100% focussed on our football club, we won’t get 110% commitment out there on the grass and this transfer was best for all parties.”

Speaking at this morning’s news conference, Murray revealed that he has a replacement for Taylor lined up already and expects the transfer to be completed shortly.