Preston North End allegedly had a loan interest in Evan Ferguson – but the Brighton and Hove Albion striker is now wanted by Chelsea.
PNE have been prolific when it comes to signing young strikers on loan from Premier League clubs.
Troy Parrott arrived from Tottenham Hotspur over the summer but an injury to Emil Riis forced North End into the market on two more occasions.
Tom Cannon came in on loan from Everton before Liam Delap joined from Manchester City in the same week.
Why Pele Is Overrated.
The goals haven’t exactly flowed for any of them in PNE shirts just yet but it’s clear all three have talent.
Other names were mentioned for PNE ahead of the January window and one was Brighton hitman Evan Ferguson.
MORE PRESTON STORIES
The Irish talent had shown promise at Brighton and a loan move to gain first-team experience in the Championship made sense.
The Daily Mail reported in November that PNE were interested in taking Ferguson on loan, with a host of other EFL clubs interested.
Brighton instead decided to keep Ferguson and have seen him become a real threat in the Premier League.
The 18-year-old has racked up three goals and two assists in just 7 league outings for Brighton and seems ready for top-flight action right now.
Ferguson has been so impressive that both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing him this summer according to The Sun.
Brighton can now expect to rake in a huge fee if they do end up selling Ferguson, given his huge potential.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter will be familiar with Ferguson from their time together at Brighton whilst Tottenham are seemingly always in the market for strikers to support Harry Kane.
Ironically, any Tottenham deal for Ferguson may dent the first-team future of PNE loanee Parrott.
It’s a shame we never got to see Ferguson in action for PNE, but North End will hope to uncover some other Premier League gems for the summer window.