£1.2m Preston North End man closing in on transfer exit – Steve Cooper wants to sign him | OneFootball

One-time £1.2 million man Mads Frokjaer-Jensen is set to depart Preston North End for Steve Cooper's Brondby.

Preston North End look set to do at least one piece of outgoing business before the close of the winter transfer window, with Mads Frokjaer-Jensen set to depart Deepdale.

The Lilywhites have put themselves into promotion contention from the Championship under the management of Paul Heckingbottom, having survived the drop on the final day of last season.

PNE aren't in great form at the moment and were denied a potentially pivotal victory against Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon, conceding late on from a controversial Jack Clarke penalty and having to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Tractor Boys.

That result came on the back of four-match losing streak across all competitions, which has seen North End slip out of the top six and the play-off places.

Now, with Heckingbottom needing to reinvigorate the stagnating Preston side, with both Portsmouth attacker Callum Lang and Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong hopefully arriving at Deepdale, it appears that Frokjaer-Jensen - who once cost the club £1.2 million from Odense in 2023 - is set to depart.

Mads Frokjaer-Jensen set to leave Preston for Steve Cooper’s Brondby

It has been reported by Danish publication Bold that Superliga outfit Brondby are close to agreeing a deal with Preston over the signing of attacking midfielder Mads Frokjaer-Jensen.

The report suggests that Brondby, who currently sit third in their domestic league, have made a move to bring in the 26-year-old on a permanent basis, albeit no deal has been completely agreed between the two clubs.

However, there is an expectation that the two clubs will soon come to a compromise and allow the midfielder to return to his home country, in what has come as an unexpected development.

Former Nottingham Forest and Swansea City boss Steve Cooper was appointed manager of Brondby in September and he has enjoyed a reasonable start to life with ‘The Boys from Vestegnen’.

Should Frokjaer-Jensen complete the move, then he will become a team-mate of the likes of former Coventry City defender Luis Banks, as well as former Sheffield United man Ben Godfrey, who recently linked up with Cooper from Atalanta after his Blades loan was terminated.

Mads Frokjaer-Jensen has not quite hit the heights at Preston North End

Frokjaer-Jensen, who once represented the Denmark U21 side in 2020, moved to Deepdale from Odense in the summer of 2023, with PNE once again moving into the Scandinavian market three years after landing Emil Riis from Randers.

Moving for a seven-figure fee, there was a fair bit of expectation and fanfare surrounding Frokjaer-Jensen's arrival. He showed glimpses of his fleet-footed ability, especially in his debut season in Lancashire, but it would be reasonable to suggest that the attacking midfielder - who has donned the number ten shirt at Deepdale - has somewhat underwhelmed.

The Dane came off the bench to play the final nine minutes of that clash with Ipswich on Saturday, making his 107th appearance for the club, having scored eight goals in that time.

His first campaign was a promising one with three goals and eight assists in 42 appearances, but he hasn’t massively kicked on since then, and has not featured prominently under Paul Heckingbottom in 2025-26 - therefore, a permanent exit from PNE seems best for all parties.