Preston struck quickly on Thursday and Friday to sign two players, bolstering Alex Neil’s side.
Andre Green arrived on loan from Aston Villa on Thursday, and a club-record move for Coventry City’s Tom Bayliss materialised on Friday.
Neil isn’t done yet though, and a left back is a priority. We noted late on Thursday night that North End now want Derby County’s Max Lowe.
Preston had been pursuing a loan move, but a permanent switch become a possibility a few days ago. With Derby signing Krystian Bielik in a big-money move, the Rams may look to raise funds by selling Lowe.
Lowe, 22, spent last season on loan at Aberdeen. He impressed at Pittodrie, winning their Players’ Player of the Year award, before heading back to Derby.
MORE PRESTON STORIES
The Rams do also have Scott Malone and Craig Forsyth at left back, with Ikechi Anya and Calum MacDonald also able to play there. That means a deal for Lowe is entirely possible, with Derby open to selling.
That’s great for North End, but Sky Sports (13:40) reported yesterday that Brentford have now made a late, late bid for the left back too.
The Bees do have Rico Henry, but are seemingly keen on Lowe as competition. There would likely be more money on offer at Griffin Park than at Deepdale, as well as more ambition of a push for the Premier League and the chance to live in London – often an appealing factor for some players.
This would leave North End a little red-faced, if Brentford pull off the hijack. Preston loaned out left back Josh Earl to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, seemingly signalling that a new left back would be coming in.
That was supposed to be Lowe, but Brentford’s interest is a concern. Hopefully the move was all but agreed before Earl left, but there will be major concerns now.
One other bit of hope is that Alan Nixon now claims Brentford want Vitesse left back Max Clark. That’s hopefully an indication that they won’t be signing Lowe, as North End need him to compete with Andrew Hughes – and offer a younger, more attack-minded options for games where Neil needs to be more expansive.