€4m Preston North End and Celtic linked star to join Championship rivals on transfer deadline day

One player linked with a move to Preston North End over the last few months is coming to England - but it won't be to Deepdale.
Jordan Jones
By Jordan Jones
Published 1st Feb 2024, 11:57 BST
Updated 1st Feb 2024, 12:00 BST
Million Manhoef is a reported transfer target for Preston North End. The Dutch winger was also wanted by Leicester City and Rangers. (Image: Getty Images)Million Manhoef is a reported transfer target for Preston North End. The Dutch winger was also wanted by Leicester City and Rangers. (Image: Getty Images)
Million Manhoef is a reported transfer target for Preston North End. The Dutch winger was also wanted by Leicester City and Rangers. (Image: Getty Images)

Vitesse Arnhem winger Million Manhoef is closing in on a move to a Championship rival, according to reports in the Netherlands.

Manhoef was a rumoured target of PNE, as well as Celtic, Rangers and Leicester City, but an 11th-hour move seems to be on the cards for the Netherlands under-21 international.

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He attracted interest from PSV and Palermo too but will now test himself in the second tier of English football. Manhoef arrives in England having played 88 times for Vitesse with 16 goals and 14 assists for their first-team. Jeroen Kapteijns, a Dutch journalist for De Telegraaf said that Manhoef boarded a plane with his supervisors this morning. Stoke are paying €4m to sign the player and he is Vitesse's largest player sale since 2019.

The transfer fee represents a sizeable fee for one player and so PNE wouldn't have been able to compete for him. Milutin Osmajic became the club's club record transfer signing in the summer and had there been any solid interest then they would have had to have broken the bank for a second time in a season.

In addition to the arrival of Manhoef, Stoke are reportedly keen to move some players off of their books to help fund even more signings today. Earlier this month it was reported that Ben Pearson and Daniel Johnson, formerly of North End had been made available for transfer despite only joining the club in the summer. Manhoef could still play at Deepdale however as Steven Schumacher takes his Potters side to Lancashire on Saturday, March 9.

Related topics:NetherlandsCelticRangersLeicester City

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