Wrexham AFC target Luke Armstrong joins Carlisle United from Harrogate Town

The wantaway striker’s exit was confirmed by the Sulphurites on Monday morning following months of uncertainty around his future.

The 27-year-old will not officially become a Carlisle player until the winter transfer window opens on January 1, but the terms of his move, on a permanent deal, have all been finalised.

And, having already passed a medical at Brunton Park, the former Middlesbrough forward will now begin training with his new club.

A joint statement released on Monday explained: ‘Harrogate Town, Carlisle United and Luke Armstrong can each confirm they have all reached and completed an agreement for a permanent transfer on January 1, 2024.

‘Having already successfully completed his medical at Brunton Park, Luke will now leave Town with immediate effect to begin training with United, pending the opening of the transfer window and transfer of his registration.’

Armstrong appeared to have joined League Two rivals Wrexham late on transfer deadline day in September, but the move collapsed after the Red Dragons failed to submit paperwork relevant to his registration to the Football League in time.

Town boss Weaver immediately welcomed last season’s leading goal-scorer back into the fold and he went on to make 10 appearances after those hopes of making the switch to North Wales were dashed.

But he has been unable to hit the heights he reached so consistently in previous campaigns, and failed to score a single goal during those games.

Ironically, Armstrong’s last appearance in Harrogate colours came against Carlisle, in an EFL Trophy tie on November 14.

He has been fit and available for selection for the last month, but Weaver has not selected him in a match-day squad since that clash with the Cumbrians, confirming publicly that he wanted to prioritise game-time for players who were committed to staying at the club beyond January.

Speculation surrounding Armstrong’s future began on the eve of 2023/24, leading to the player making himself unavailable for Town’s season-opener at Doncaster Rovers.

After missing that game and the 1-0 League Cup triumph against Carlisle which followed, he did feature in all of the Sulphurites’ fixtures prior to him agreeing terms with Wrexham on September 1.

His decision to sign for the Welsh side came despite Harrogate offering him a new three-year deal on improved terms despite him still having two years to run on his existing contract.

His only goal of the campaign to date came from the penalty spot during a 2-0 home success over Morecambe on August 26.

In total, Armstrong made 116 competitive appearances for Town, scoring 31 times and contributing 13 assists.