Preston North End eyeing reunion deal with Sheffield United striker Tom Cannon | OneFootball

Cannon had a strong loan spell with the Lilywhites in the 22/23 campaign.

Preston North End are trying to pull off a late reunion move for Sheffield United striker Tom Cannon.

Deadline Day always throws up endless possibilities, ones that Paul Heckingbottom's Lilywhites are now looking to exploit.

North End currently sit ninth in the Championship table as we enter the first international break of the season, and it looks as though the club will be working the phones right up to the 7pm deadline in order to bolster their options even further.

Preston want Tom Cannon reunion before transfer deadline hits

A report from Alan Nixon has stated that Preston are interested in trying to bring Cannon, a former loanee, back to Deepdale before tonight's deadline passes.

Cannon, 22, is currently with Sheffield United, who he joined for £10 million in January after a successful loan spell with Stoke City.

His first Championship spell came with North End, and they now want to add a second term to that tenure.

Nixon has said that Preston want the striker back on a temporary basis yet again, and this would be Cannon's third such move of his career.

There may be one big stumbling block for Heckingbottom and his team though, as the Blades would want the Lancashire side to cover all of the player's hefty wages, which could ultimately price them out of this deal.

Since moving to Bramall Lane in January, the Irishman has only scored once in 22 appearances in all competitions. This season hasn't been any more fruitful for him so far either, as aside from the one time when he was handed a starting spot by Ruben Selles away at Millwall, Cannon has only played more than 30 minutes in a second-tier match on one occasion.

On the flip side, Preston's starting centre-forward, Milutin Osmajic, has begun the 2025/26 campaign successfully. Three goals in four appearances for the Lilywhites would mean that Cannon would still have to fight his way into the starting XI at Deepdale, even though it's a place where he has already experienced a decent level of success.

In other North End transfer news on deadline day, Bristol City centre-forward Sinclair Armstrong is another forward option that the club are said to be looking at on Deadline Day. We've already seen one forward, Emil Riis Jacobsen, make the move from one of these clubs to another earlier in the summer, as the Dane joined the Robins on a three-year deal.

The Lilywhites are also trying to finalise a move for another Everton academy product in Harrison Armstrong. The midfielder was wanted by a number of Preston's divisional rivals, but they are set to win the race for the 18-year-old, as per John Percy.

Preston North End move could be what Tom Cannon has been waiting for

Ever since Cannon joined the Blades, the pressure has been on him to deliver at the highest level, both because of his price tag and the automatic promotion spots that they were fighting for.

The move just hasn't worked for him, and there's little sign that things are going to change in the immediate future.

A return to Deepdale could be the change that he needs to get his career back on track, however.

Cannon has proved both with Preston and Stoke that he can be a strong goalscoring threat in this division. Things haven't clicked when playing for teams that have been fighting right at the top end of the division.

A reduction in expectations could prove to be what unlocks his abilities again, and playing for a fanbase that already hold him in high regard thanks to his previous loan spell at Deepdale in 22/23, that could also prove to be a catalyst for a revival in his goalscoring form.