Preston North End set to start their incoming transfer business this week

Their dealings in the close-season to date have been limited to a new two-year contract for Bambo Diaby and the release last month of 13 players.

But with the calendar having flipped over to June, players beginning to come back from their holidays and the start of pre-season training being three weeks away, the wheels are starting to turn.

It’s understood that terms have been agreed with two players and negotiations with a third are currently in motion.

All being well, things have reached a stage where the deals could be completed and announced towards the back end of the week, with the next step being for the targets to undergo medicals.

These deals are believed to be permanent moves which points to them being outfield players – North End’s focus for a first-choice goalkeeper is trained on the loan market.

There are plenty of empty slots in the squad to fill, with wing-backs, keepers and strikers the priority at this stage of the summer.

Ryan Lowe’s 3-5-2 system puts a lot of emphasis on the wing-back positions, the Lilywhites manager liking them to get high up the pitch to provide service from wide areas.

Lowe has no keepers in his squad at the moment, while like any manager he wants to bolster the firepower up front.

Other areas will get attention if players become available who PNE think can increase the quality.

Any loan deals they choose to do could be a bit further down the line, with parent clubs often wanting players to do part of pre-season with them before giving the green light.

A loan player who North End are keen to get back is Cameron Archer, the scorer of seven goals after being borrowed from Aston Villa in January.

Archer made his debut for England Under-21s in their 2-1 win over Czech Republic in Ceske Budejovice on Friday, coming off the bench in the 68th minute.

That followed an appearance at Under-20s level in the March international break which fell during his loan spell at Deepdale.

The Under-21s face Albania at Chesterfield’s Technique Stadium on Tuesday night, with victory guaranteeing them qualifying for next summer’s European Championships.

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