How much money Preston North End would have to pay Spurs to sign Alfie Devine | OneFootball

Preston North End would have to break their current £2.15 million club-record fee for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Devine.

It has been a magnificent start to the campaign for Preston North End, with loanee Alfie Devine showing quality throughout the opening couple of months, and now details have emerged with regards to how much the Lancastrians would have to pay to sign the Tottenham Hotspur man on a permanent deal.

Having narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of last season, following a collapse in the second-half of the campaign, Paul Heckingbottom was entrusted with an overhaul of the Preston squad over the summer.

That has seen Preston transform themselves from a perennial Championship also-ran to, seemingly, a potential promotion challenger as they sit tucked inside the top six and the play-off places after 13 matches of the campaign.

With a brilliant defensive record, whereby only Stoke City and Charlton Athletic have conceded fewer than North End, moments of quality in the final third are providing Preston supporters with plenty of reasons to finally get excited about.

At the heart of their attack, and all-round game, is Tottenham loanee Devine, but Preston would have to smash their club-record fee to bring in the 21-year-old on a permanent basis.

Preston would have to break club-record fee for Alfie Devine

Having beaten off competition from fellow apparent promotion contenders Millwall over the summer to sign him on loan, Alfie Devine has had a magnificent start to life at Deepdale.

It has now been reported by George Hodgson, of the Lancashire Post, that the buy option in Devine’s loan deal is worth £4 million.

The Wigan Athletic academy graduate, who has made a couple of first-team appearances for Spurs, has been highly regarded throughout his young career and now he is beginning to show it on a regular basis for a Preston side that would widely be regarded as punching above their weight.

With a couple of goals and a couple of assists so far this season, Devine is playing a key role as the creative outlet in an all-action midfield that consists of Ben Whiteman and Everton loanee Harrison Armstrong.

Devine, who has also had loan spells with Port Vale, Plymouth Argyle and Westerlo, is developing an industrious and hard-working edge to go with his excellent and now effective technical ability.

It may still be too soon for Preston to be certain they should take the plunge on a hefty fee for the youngster, but he is going some way to make it a must do deal for the club.

Alfie Devine would surpass the Milutin Osmajic transfer

Preston’s current club-record transfer fee paid is £2.15 million, which was the fee that they paid for Montenegro international striker Milutin Osmajic from Spanish side Cadiz in the summer of 2023.

The controversial 26-year-old is a fan favourite at Deepdale, having notched 26 goals in 90 matches for the club across all competitions since his arrival, including a career best season of 15 in 41 games last season.

Preston have often been frugal but smart with their recruitment and managing to poach Devine on loan has been another excellent example of that.

Heckingbottom has been given a gem of a player and is coaching and moulding him in to becoming a seriously effective asset at the top end of the Championship table.

Should Devine continue his form then Preston may well find their breaking their club-record transfer fee for the England youth international becomes a necessity, rather than a temptation.