Preston North End open to first-team player sale as League One replacement eyed up | OneFootball

Preston North End are open to allowing Freddie Woodman to move on before the transfer deadline.

Preston North End are open to selling first-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman before the end of the January transfer window.

With the transfer deadline coming to an end on Monday night, there is set to be plenty of transfer activity over the next day or so, and it appears as though PNE still have hopes of completing some late business.

They are open to selling their number one, Freddie Woodman, if they get an offer for him before the transfer deadline tomorrow, as per The Sun, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Wigan Athletic stopper Sam Tickle is at the top of the Lilywhites' list of targets going into the closing stages of the transfer window, but any deal to make a move for the England youth international would depend on Woodman leaving Deepdale.

Preston North End open to cashing in on Freddie Woodman

Woodman has started every game that he has been available for in the Championship so far this season, having only missed the 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion through suspension after being sent off at Stoke City.

The 27-year-old has kept 10 clean sheets in the second tier for Preston this term, although he has conceded 37 goals in the other 19 league games that he has played.

He is set to be out of contract in the summer, and while FLW exclusively reported in December that the player and club were in discussions over fresh terms, it now seems as though he will be allowed to move on if the right offer is received, hinting at the fact he's turned down North End's advances.

Woodman has attracted transfer interest before during his time at Preston, with one example being when Rangers were reportedly keen on striking a £3.5 million deal to sign the goalkeeper in 2023.

But if any agreement is to be reached before the end of the current transfer window, it is unlikely that PNE would now receive a transfer fee as high as that at this stage of his contract.

It will be interesting to see whether the club can facilitate a departure for Woodman and sign Tickle during the time that remains in the transfer window, but if they are able to do so, considering Woodman's contract status and Tickle's reputation, it would have to be seen as good business.

Sam Tickle is highly-rated at Wigan Athletic - it would be a coup if Preston North End landed him

If PNE were able to sign Tickle from Wigan, then it would be seen as a real coup for the Championship side, as he was being linked with Premier League giants such as Manchester United and Arsenal during the summer transfer window.

In fact, the 22-year-old turned down a move to The Emirates on deadline day in favour of remaining as a first-choice option at The Brick Community Stadium.

He has been a mainstay in goal for the Latics' in League One so far this season, and has kept 11 clean sheets in 28 games, conceding just 28 goals in the process.

Preston will hope that, if they can reach an agreement to sell Woodman, the prospect of regular minutes in the Championship will be enough to convince Tickle to leave the club where he started his career, and that they can agree a fee with Wigan at this late stage of the transfer window.

However, it would likely take a huge fee to prise Tickle away from the Greater Manchester outfit, especially after already cashing in on new Luton Town midfielder Thelo Aasgaard.