Preston North End ‘advancing in talks’ to bring back former club captain - reports

Preston North End are ‘advancing in talks’ to re-sign former club captain Alan Browne from Sunderland, according to Pete O’Rourke.

The Football Insider transfer correspondent has made the claim on the eve of transfer deadline day.

Browne, 31, is in the last year of his contract at the Stadium of Light.

He has been heavily linked with a return to Deepdale since Alan Nixon reported on PNE and Blackburn Rovers’ interest in him earlier this month.

However, it was later claimed that the Black Cats would like to keep him as part of their Europa League squad.

North End are understood to have pushed for Browne’s return in recent days, though, and were reportedly ready to table a new offer at the back end of last week.

Browne spent a decade at PNE between 2014 and 2024, during which time he made 414 appearances for the club, scoring 46 times.

In the 2017/18 season, he was named Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year, and also won the Goal of the Season award. He was made club captain in 2020 after Tom Clarke left for Salford City.

He arrived at the Stadium of Light in 2024 following the expiration of his contract at PNE, and was part of the Sunderland team that won promotion under Regis Le Bris the following year.

Browne was then made available for loan last summer and was picked up by Middlesbrough. He impressed for Kim Hellberg’s side, winning the Championship Player of the Month award in January during which he scored against PNE. He started in Boro’s playoff final defeat to Hull City in May.