Charlton Athletic, Millwall & Preston North End "interested" in defender after Galatasaray exit | OneFootball

The 24-year-old was released by Turkish giants Galatasaray earlier this month.

Championship trio Charlton Athletic, Millwall and Preston North End are said to be interested in signing Danish defender Mathias Ross on a free transfer.

The 24-year-old is available after his contract at Galatasaray was cancelled by mutual consent earlier this month - a year before it was due to expire.

Charlton, Millwall and Preston have all made approaches to sign the centre-back following his departure from the Turkish giants, as per Football Insider.

Ross joined Galatasaray from his hometown club Aalborg BK for a fee in the region of £1.5 million in 2022, although he never featured in the Turkish Süper Lig before being released this summer, with his only two appearances coming in the early rounds of the Türkiye Kupasi during the year of his arrival.

Dutch side NEC Nijmegen paid around £215,000 to take Ross on loan during the 2023/24 season, and he spent last season on loan at Sparta Prague in the Czech Republic.

Ross played against Atlético Madrid in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for Sparta Prague last term, but they chose not to make the move permanent for around £1 million this summer.

Now, he could end up in the Championship in the 2025/26 season following his release from Galatasaray.

Mathias Ross could end up in the Championship next season as three clubs "approach" Dane

Ross may have been hoping to finally get a chance at Galatasaray following his loan spells at NEC Nijmegen and Sparta Prague, but it now seems as though he could be spending next season in the Championship instead.

Charlton boasted an excellent defensive record as they won promotion from League One via the play-offs last season, and working with Nathan Jones in the Championship could be beneficial for Ross as a young defender looking to establish himself as a key player in a first-team squad.

The Addicks have recently been linked with Luton Town centre-back Reece Burke, while they have already added to their defensive options with the signing of Amari'i Bell, so it is clear that strengthening at the back is a priority at The Valley this summer.

It has been widely reported that Millwall defender Japhet Tanganga has a release clause of around £1.2 million in his contract amid interest from Premier League clubs including Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sunderland.

A move to The Den could be an attractive option for a 6-foot-3-inch defender like Ross, especially if a first-team place is vacated by the sale of Tanganga.

Preston have been relatively busy during the summer transfer window so far, and the arrivals of Pol Valentin, Thierry Small and Odeluga Offiah have given Paul Heckingbottom some new options when it comes to players capable of operating in defence, so the addition of Ross could add further strength in depth at the back.

Charlton Athletic face a battle to land Mathias Ross - they may be

Out of the three clubs that have made approaches to sign Ross on a free transfer, Charlton may be in the weakest position to land their target.

The Addicks have just been promoted back to the second tier, while Millwall naarrowly missed out on a play-off place last season, which could well make the Den a more attractive destination.

Meanwhile, Preston have already poached Thierry Small from Charlton this summer, and they also beat the south London outfit to the signing of Odeluga Offiah from Brighton & Hove Albion, so there is every chance they will secure another one of the Addicks' transfer targets.

Nathan Jones' best chance of landing Ross could be guaranteeing the defender playing time that the other interested parties are unable to, in what could be an interesting transfer battle between the three clubs.