Preston North End are reportedly closing in on the signing Everton forward Tom Cannon despite interest from Championship rivals.
We’re wary of getting too excited here as there have been a few false dawns with regards to Cannon returning to PNE.
Still, The Sun’s Alan Nixon reports this afternoon that North End are now close to signing Cannon on loan.
Nixon claims that North End are ready to pay a loan fee of around £1million in order to bring Cannon back to the club.
That will likely cause some debate as PNE forking out £1million for a player who won’t be at the club in a year’s time.
There is no doubting Cannon’s quality though and he could be a real difference-maker for PNE this season.
Cannon joined PNE on loan from Everton in January and, after a slightly slow start as he adjusted to senior football, he became a fan favourite.
Cannon racked up eight goals in 20 appearances for North End, including a superb goal in the 3-1 home win over Blackpool.
PNE fans have been absolutely desperate to see Cannon return to Deepdale this summer and hopes were raised earlier this month.
Cannon attended North End’s 2-0 home win over Aberdeen, leaving fans firmly believing that a deal was imminent.
The wait since then has been excruciating and downright frustrating at times with the rumour mill going into overdrive.
Other clubs have been linked too with Nixon noting interest from Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.
North End fans will now hope that is finally the end of the rumours and that Cannon is on board ahead of this weekend’s season opener at Bristol City.