Preston North End told transfer price as Rangers join Leicester City in pursuit

Preston North End are reported to be involved in a three-horse transfer race for Vitesse winger Million Manhoef. The January transfer window is open and clubs are now afforded the opportunity to bolster their squad with another player popping up on North End's radar.

According to a report from The Scottish Sun Manhoef will cost £2.5m, and both North End and their Championship rivals Leicester City are interested. Glasgow giants Rangers have recently joined the pursuit, and the current state-of-play is that the Scottish Premiership club lead the three-horse race.

Gers boss Phillipe Clement was quizzed about the links however he was coy on the speculation and refused to reveal his stance on the possible move. In his post-match interview after losing to Celtic, Clement told BBC Sportsound: "I never speak about players we are interested in or not because then I can speak every day about rumours, there are so many rumours in Glasgow that are wrong."

Manhoef came through the academy sysrem at Vitesse, and is capable of playing on the left or right wing or as a left-back. He is under contract at the GelreDome until the summer of 2025 and is a prominent member of their first-team squad.

He has made 17 appearances in the Eredivise and the KNVB Beker, getting four goals in the league and an assist in the Cup. To date he has made 84 appearances for their first-team since making his debut in 2020, and has 16 goals and 14 assists. Manhoef has seven appearances for the Netherlands under-21's team and has already scored three goals including two efforts against Moldova and Gibraltar in UEFA EURO Under-21 qualifying.

As for Preston North End's reported transfer interest, the £2.5m cost would represent a club record fee. Milutin Osmajic was signed from Cadiz for a reported £2.15m in the summer and the cheque book would have to come out again to bring Manhoef to Deepdale.

A move to Lancashire seems unlikely however after Ryan Lowe admitted in mid-December that he does not anticipate a flurry of transfer business. Several players could depart on loan, while North End could target a couple of additions.