The defender has been at Deepdale since his 2018 move from Peterborough United

Preston North End stalwart Andrew Hughes has started talks over a possible contract extension at Deepdale.

The Welshman is one of a handful of senior players out of contract this summer, having signed a 12 month deal in January of last year. Robbie Brady, Jamal Lewis and Dai Cornell’s contracts are also up soon. Since joining in 2018 from Peterborough United, Hughes has made 298 appearances for the Lilywhites and scored nine goals.

The 33-year-old was signed to play left-back after the sale of Greg Cunningham to Cardiff City but, over the last few seasons, has established himself as Preston’s first choice left centre-back, in a three. This season, Hughes has played 35 games with 32 starts made across all competitions.

PNE’s number 16 told the Lancashire Post he would ‘love to extend’ his stay and ‘we’ll see what happens’, in an interview towards the end of last month. Boss Paul Heckingbottom had plenty of praise for Hughes and fellow defenders, Jordan Storey and Liam Lindsay, earlier this season.

Back in November, he said: “I often think where Preston North End would be without Hughesy, Linds and Jordan, all the time. I've had zero money to spend and you're constantly relying on them... they're churning it out, they're fit, they're strong. They turn up every day to train, turn up every game and they're good people.”