Salford owner Marwan Koukash has confirmed that big-money buys Rangi Chase and Harrison Hansen will be allowed to leave the club as free agents, and Australian forward Cory Paterson will also go as part of a major shake-up.

Director of rugby Tim Sheens is preparing to rebuild the squad following their brush with relegation.

With the club’s Super League future assured following Sunday’s Super 8s win at Widnes, Sheens is expected to announce the first of up to eight new signings in the next 48 hours.

Salford had already announced the departures of Adrian Morley, who is retiring, and fellow front rowers Lama Tasi and Scott Taylor, who are joining St Helens and Hull respectively.

Koukash said New Zealand-born Chase and Hansen, as well as Paterson, will now leave the AJ Bell Stadium, along with scrum-half Theo Fages.

According to Koukash, Paterson, who joined the Red Devils on a two-year deal from Wests Tigers 12 months ago, has agreed a move to Championship club Leigh, who were also linked with Chase and Hansen while they were in contention for promotion to Super League.

“Cory is under contract with us for next year but he wants to go to Leigh and we’re not going to stand in his way,” Koukash said.

“We agreed to release him on the first of October, regardless of whether they are in Super League or not. We will honour that agreement and I hope he honours it as well. We are not interested in keeping him.”

Chase, the 2011 Man of Steel who played for England in the 2008 World Cup, was suspended earlier this month after failing to report for training on time and is now on sick leave.

“Back in June he asked for a transfer and we granted him that,” Koukash said.

“As a thank-you for his service to the club, we have told him we will not ask for a transfer fee, even though we paid a very sizeable fee just under two years ago.

“Harrison is another one who has asked to leave the club and again we have granted him a free transfer.”

Fages, who submitted a transfer request in June and resigned from the club in August, is also close to finalising his departure from the Red Devils.

The France international, who is thought to be interesting St Helens, has taken the club to a tribunal in an effort to secure his release but Koukash, who initially said it would take a record STG700,000 ($A1.5 million) transfer fee to persuade him to part with the player, confirmed that a resolution is near.

News of the Fages case comes just 24 hours after former Salford full-back Kevin Locke apparently failed in his claim for unpaid wages, with a Rugby Football League tribunal largely ruling in the club’s favour.

Locke, who is currently serving an internal club suspension at Wakefield, is considering pursuing the matter through the courts but Koukash says he is prepared to continue his battle with the former New Zealand international.

“Every element of the claim was dismissed,” Koukash said.

“He is most welcome to take it to the High Court but the figures have been studied properly. My club has not been in any way negligent towards Kevin Locke and we feel disappointed that we had to go through this process.”

Meanwhile, Salford have been linked with Warrington half-back Gareth O’Brien and winger Joel Monaghan, who are being released by the Wolves at the end of the season.