Preston have been superb so far this season, moving third with a 5-1 win over Barnsley this afternoon. There’s a real buzz around North End right now, but with that success comes exposure.
A host of Preston players will be attracting interest off the back of their performances. We’d rather that wasn’t the case, but that’s the reality of being an impressive Championship side.
Defender Ben Davies is likely to be the most in-demand player as things stand. The 24-year-old has been outstanding in the heart of the Preston defence over the last two years, developing rapidly under Alex Neil.
Over the summer, Alan Nixon claimed that Newcastle wanted Davies. Steve Bruce was allegedly impressed with Davies in the Championship last season, but no move from the Magpies materialised.
Now, Nixon is back with another update on Davies. This time, he claims that Brighton and Hove Albion are leading the race for Davies, with a £10million deal being pursued.
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Newcastle are again named as another interested club, as are Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers. That’s four Premier League teams pursuing Davies, which may be hard to fend off.
It is though claimed that Preston are planning to offer Davies a new deal to stay at Deepdale. With his contract ending in 2021, it may well be difficult to keep him for any longer than that, especially if Premier League interest is mounting.
A move to Brighton would be a surprise though. The Seagulls already have Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster and Dan Burn, whilst Matthew Clarke and Ben White are out on loan. It’s hard to see any of the six moving on any time soon, so adding Davies shouldn’t be a priority.
Other clubs may fancy Davies, especially Wolves, as Davies fits well as a left-sided centre back thanks to being predominantly left-footed, and superb on the ball.
Hopefully North End can fend off this interest in Davies, but having sold Jordan Hugill to West Ham in January 2018, there will be fears that Davies will go too.