Preston North End linked striker set to sign for Championship rivals - reports
A move to the second-tier is imminent for a sought-after striker.
Preston North End striker target Lorent Tolaj is set to sign for Bristol City, according to reports.
Tolaj, 24, scored 21 goals in 35 games for current club Plymouth Argyle last season and recorded eight assists. He has been with the Pilgrims for less than a year, signing from Port Vale last summer after his £1.2m release clause was triggered.
It was understood last month that Tolaj was of interest to PNE, but that several other clubs including Celtic, Derby, Leicester and Swansea were also keen on him.
Now, Pete O’Rourke claims that he is bound for Ashton Gate, with the Swiss forward set for a medical in the next 48 hours. The Daily Mail reported earlier on Thursday that the Robins were eyeing a £4m move for him.
Tolaj came through Brighton’s youth system and had loan spells at Cambridge United, Salford City and Dundee before signing for Aldershot Town in 2023. He picked up the Supporters’ Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards in his first and only season with ‘The Shots’, before moving to Port Vale in June 2024.
PNE have signed three players so far this summer: goalkeeper Lee Nicholls, midfielder and record signing Alfie Devine and striker Jusef Erabi, on loan from Genk.