Signing of free agent midfielder would now be a big surprise for Preston North End

Preston North End have been linked with a summer swoop for free agent Jack Cork, but a move would now come as a surprise. It took a few weeks for the Lilywhites to make a breakthrough in the summer transfer window, but Sam Greenwood’s arrival - on loan from Leeds United last Friday - marked lift off for Ryan Lowe and co.

One brings two and, just like with Greenwood, the imminent arrival of Silkeborg midfielder Stefan Teitur Thordarson came out of nowhere. Should the Icelandic midfielder pass his medical and a deal go through, Preston will have kept their first two recruits impressively under wraps. And what the pair would do, is boost competition significantly in the middle of the park.

Greenwood is versatile, granted, but the player himself has said his best position is as a number ten - while able to play out wide or in midfield. As for Thordarson, Preston look like they’d be getting a big, powerful central midfielder - with technical ability, but also the athletic qualities required to hit the box and provide a goal threat.

PNE, who saw three midfielders leave this summer - including club legend Alan Browne - would therefore be well stocked all of a sudden. Ben Whiteman, Ali McCann, Ryan Ledson, Duane Holmes, Mads Frokjaer and youngster Noah Mawene already on board. Other areas of the team are surely set to be targeted, if the capture of Thordarson is successful.

Of course, that is assuming Cork - linked to PNE by Football Insider - was viewed as a potential midfield recruit. That has been the 35-year-old’s position over the course of his 594 appearance career, but he did play at centre-half for the Clarets, in an EFL Cup rout of Salford City last season. For now, it remains to be seen what the ex-Southampton man’s next step is.

In late May, he told Clarets+: “I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I still feel I’ve got a lot of legs left in me. I feel fit, I feel good. I’ve done my coaching badges as well, so whatever happens over the next couple of months happens. I’m open, I’m excited, but I just want to say thank you to everyone at the football club. The season has not been great and at the age I am, it’s just been disappointing. I feel like I’ve trained well.

“I’ve been one of the best in training. I’ve been one of the ones that has run the furthest and I’ve been frustrated I haven’t really had a chance this year. I understand, at my age, how things go at football clubs - but I’ve been disappointed with how the season has gone. I felt I still could have done a job but it’s part of football. I haven’t played much this year and this is what happens, so now I’m looking forward to the next adventure.”