Preston North End keen to get their summer transfer business started

Preston North End are looking to get the ball rolling on their summer transfer business over the next week or so.
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The Lilywhites now have their top targets narrowed down and it is hoped deals for two of three of them could be struck by early June.

It is understood that talks with one of the players they want took place out of town yesterday, with the wheels in motion on a couple of others too.

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Many players are on holiday at the moment which makes face-to-face talks and arranging medicals difficult, but June traditionally sees the transfer market creak into life.

Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe and director Peter RidsdalePreston North End manager Ryan Lowe and director Peter Ridsdale
Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe and director Peter Ridsdale

North End have plenty of business to do this summer after releasing 13 players to create room in the Deepdale squad and on the wage bill.

It won’t be a case of replacing all 13, the focus to start with trained on finding goalkeepers, wing-backs and strikers.

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That’s not to say other positions won’t be strengthened but the above three positions are a necessity – PNE don’t have a senior keeper on the books as things stand.

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PNE accept that fans are keen to know who is coming through the door but ideally want deals done and dusted before names leak out, to prevent the risk of other clubs coming in with late counter offers.

Deepdale director Peter Ridsdale said: “I’ve seen it claimed that we leak names to get people exited so they then buy tickets.

"It’s quite the opposite, we try to keep transfers as quiet as possible so we don’t lose them.

"We recognise that between now and the season starting, new signings are what people get excited about.”

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Ridsdale has reiterated how transfers will be done in terms of identifying players and getting deals done.

"I physically negotiate the wages that the club feels it can afford but we don’t bring players in who the manager doesn’t want,” said Ridsdale.

"In my time here there has only been one player who came in who the manager of the time wasn’t keen to do.

"I work very closely with Ryan and his team. Day in, day out they are looking at players.

"Agents will talk to Ryan, agents talk to me.

"We have a company now who are imputing from a data point of view who Ryan has spoken about.”