Preston North End's sale of Callum Robinson to Sheffield United should spark incoming business at Deepdale

Callum Robinson in action for Preston against Sheffield United - the club he is about to join - in September 2018

Robinson will land the Premier League move he has chased this summer by joining Sheffield United for a fee in the region of £8m.

Having trained with North End at Fota Island on Thursday morning, Robinson was given permission to leave the Irish training camp and fly to link-up with the Blades.

The clock was ticking on the 24-year-old’s future as he went into the final 12 months of his contract.

Callum Robinson scoring for Preston against Ipswich at Deepdale in April

He did not want to talk about a new deal and North End had to decide whether to cash in now or keep hold.

Had they chosen to keep him and Robinson continued to let his contract run down, the January window would be the last chance to get money for him before he became a free agent next summer.

Preston supporters will hope to see a decent portion of the fee reinvested – Robinson’s old club Aston Villa have a sell-on clause which needs to be paid.

To date, their one summer signing has been centre-half Patrick Bauer who joined on a Bosman last month at the end of his Charlton contract.

Robinson will take some replacing, his form having been strong over the last three seasons.

He finished as Preston’s top scorer last season with 13 goals in league and cup, despite him missing more than three months of the campaign after surgery on a damaged tendon in his hamstring.

In the 2017/18 season he scored eight goals while the season before, Robinson found the net 11 times.

Last season he won his first senior international cap with the Republic of Ireland and has now played eight times for them.

Earlier in the summer, he was subject of strong interest from Norwich City who like the Blades, were promoted from the Championship.

Norwich dropped out of the running a fortnight ago and the Blades entered the chase after that.

They had an opening bid turned down but returned with a second which has now been accepted.

Robinson’s time with PNE goes back to September 2014 when he joined from Villa on a youth loan.

He returned for a second spell on loan that season, with Villa having recalled him in between.

After a disappointing time on loan at Bristol City, Robinson came back for a third loan with Preston in January 2016.

Seven months later he made the move permanent to Deepdale, Preston paying £170,000 youth training compensation to Villa at the end of his contract