DEFENDER Jonathan Grounds has left Swindon Town after both he and the club agreed to a contract termination.

The club released the following statement: "After dialogue with his representatives, the club has mutually agreed to terminate the contract of Jonathan Grounds, pending EFL approval.

"We would like to thank Jonathan for his work during his time here and wish him all the best for the future."

This news comes after new Town head coach Ben Garner made contact with the EFL to find out why two of his players - Brett Pitman and Grounds - had not reported back for the new season. 

Grounds and Pitman had their initial Town contracts extended at the end of last season, but did not return to training in July after they weren't paid in June. 

Discussing the situation regarding Pitman and Grounds, Garner said: "We’re looking into that now.

"We’ve made contact with the EFL to find out the situation. They weren’t in on Thursday but we’re looking into it to find out the exact circumstances of those two."

Grounds, 33, joined Town from Birmingham City last year.

Pitman's status with the club remains unclear.