PNE not chasing striker Joe

It was claimed in a Scottish newspaper that North End were considering making a £500,000 bid for the player they sold for £1.8m last August.

But senior PNE sources say that there is no desire to bring the 29-year-old back to Lancashire.

Garner pushed for the move to Ibrox last summer, it going through shortly after he took on a new agent.

He scored 10 goals for the Glasgow club in the season just finished, seven of those in the Scottish Premiership and a hat-trick in the Scottish FA Cup against Hamilton.

This week it was reported that Garner was one of several players who would be allowed to leave Rangers in cut-price deals this summer in order to raise transfer funds for new manager Pedro Caixinha.

Ipswich Town have been linked with the front man.

Garner netted 57 goals for Preston in a three-and-a-half year stay, finishing top scorer in the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons.

He found the going tougher after promotion to the Championship, scoring six league goals in 2015/16.

Garner started the 2016/17 campaign in North End colours but moved north of the border three games into the season.