Preston North End knock back loan bid from Wigan Athletic for Daniel Johnson

Latics, who play North End at Deepdale on the second weekend of the season, asked this week about the possibility of taking Johnson to the DW Stadium.

It is understood that request was knocked back by the PNE hierarchy.

Whether Wigan maintain their interest and return with a cash bid for Johnson, remains to be seen.

If that did happen, Preston would have to weigh up whether they wanted to sell to a club in the same division.

Although the 26-year-old does divide opinion among the North End fan base, he remains a key member of the squad.

He had made 185 appearances in a Preston shirt since signing for a bargain £50,000 from Aston Villa in January 2015.

Johnson has scored 31 goals for the club, seven of those last season which included the winner in the derby clash with Blackburn at Ewood Park in March.

Last August he signed a new contract with North End which runs until the summer of 2021.