LOVE Island winner Finley Tapp has got out of his football contract with Oxford City FC and won’t be returning to the club.
The club had expected the 20-year-old central defender to return and fulfil his contract after going AWOL to take part in the ITV2 reality show earlier this year.
However a source exclusively revealed to The Sun Online Finley – who went on to win the show with girlfriend Paige Turley – had managed to negotiate his way out of his contract.
They said: “Finn was due back at Oxford and the managers there had made that clear, but he has other ideas.
“He has managed to get out of his contract so won’t be playing for them again.
“He said he really wants to concentrate on Paige right now and the pair have started house hunting in Manchester.”
A representative for Finley insisted that, while the star won’t return this season, he could reunite with his team mates in the future.
The rep told The Sun Online: “We have been in regular contact with Oxford City and they understand and appreciate that Finn’s work commitments and schedule makes it very difficult for him to have involvement for the remainder of this season which they understand.
“The door is open for Finn to return to Oxford City when his schedule allows him.”
They also revealed Finn will be in the line up to take part in a charity football match on June 14.
They added: “On 14th June, Oxford City have a charity football match taking place at 4pm of which Finn will be involved; playing and helping raise funds accordingly.”
The club’s commercial director Mick Livesey previously revealed the club would take measures with new players’ contracts over TV show appearances, stated that he hopes the youngster swiftly returns to action.
He told the BBC: “He was [in breach of his contract] but I think you need to take a pragmatic sort of view: A 20-year-old lad, he’s offered all this reality TV stuff.
“He has a contract, so he has to finish the contract he has with the football club. He’s done very, very well for us.
“I can assure you that all new players we sign from now on, we will be putting clauses in their contracts. I think we’re going to have to.
“We’re an ambitious football club, we’re going from strength to strength and we’re looking to build.
“This hasn’t been ideal. It is probably disruptive to the club and results.”
