Preston were hoping to sign Manchester City striker Liam Delap on loan, but those dreams have been ended by Pep Guardiola.
North End had registered their interest in taking Delap on loan for the season, with Frankie McAvoy seeking a new striker.
Having taken Lukas Nmecha on loan in the 2018-19 season, Preston’s relationship with City isn’t bad at all; the two sides even played a pre-season friendly this summer.
There were hopes that City would send Delap to Deepdale, but a host of other Championship clubs have shown an interest too.
Delap, 18, is one of the top young striker prospects in England, smashing 24 goals and five assists in just 20 Premier League 2 outings last season.
It looked like the teenager would be heading out on loan, and we understand Preston had genuine hope of securing his signature.
Now though, City boss Guardiola has told the Manchester Evening News that Delap will spend the season training with City’s first team instead of going out on loan.
Guardiola noted that Delap may be the most requested player he has coached at City given the number of loan offers that have come in, but City have made their decision – Delap is staying.
Maybe this can be revisited in January, but it looks like Preston will have to look into other deals – such as Connor Wickham – if they want a new striker.