Preston North End plot late deal to sign Bristol City striker | OneFootball

The Irish international has emerged as a potential target for North End

Preston North End have identified Bristol City forward Sinclair Armstrong as a potential target to bolster the club's attacking options, as per journalist Darren Witcoop.

North End have started the Championship season with a mixed bag of results under Paul Heckingbottom, as they followed up surprise Deepdale victories over newly-relegated Leicester City and Ipswich Town with their first defeat of the league season away to Portsmouth at Fratton Park over the weekend.

Heckingbottom has made several tweaks to his attacking department since the end of last season, with Michael Smith, Daniel Jebbison and Lewis Dobbin replacing the likes of Emil Riis, Sam Greenwood and Ched Evans, who all departed the club after the expiration of their respective contracts and loan deals.

Plenty of discourse surrounding the club this summer has been the potential loss of Milutin Osmajic amid heavy speculation surrounding the Montenegrin from European outfits. However, North End could be adding to their ranks as the summer transfer window draws to a close with the capture of the aforementioned Robins outcast.

Preston North End identify Bristol City's Sinclair Armstrong as late transfer window striker target

The Lilywhites have actively looked to add further depth to their attacking ranks across the summer after losing Riis - last season's top scorer with 12 goals - on a free transfer ahead of his subsequent move to Ashton Gate.

Over the course of recent weeks, North End had been linked with the likes of Tani Oluwaseyi, Andri Gudjohnsen and Richard Kone as potential options, with the latter of those eventually opting to move from Wycombe Wanderers to Preston's opening day opponents, Queens Park Rangers.

With hours remaining in the window, it had been reported by Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider that Preston, alongside divisional rivals, Charlton Athletic, had lodged loan enquiries for Chelsea's young Swedish striker, David Datro Fofana.

As the club looks to cover a range of options with the 7PM transfer deadline, Darren Witcoop has revealed that another name on the club's shortlist of strikers is the aforementioned Armstrong.

A week into the new season, Football League World exclusively revealed that Gerhard Struber was ready to offload the one-time Republic of Ireland international before the summer window slammed shut, and the man who signed for £2.5m from Loftus Road just 14 months ago could already be on the move, despite still having three years left to run on his deal in BS3.

Preston North End supporters could be underwhelmed by potential Sinclair Armstrong signing

It remains to be seen whether a move for the powerful 22-year-old would be on a permanent or temporary basis. However, even if Armstrong was to be signed as a backup to the in-demand Osmajic, North End supporters could still be largely underwhelmed by this particular recruit.

In his current spell with the West Country side, the Dublin-born man has netted just three times in 43 appearances, following on from a record of just four strikes and as many assists during his time with QPR.

Of course, there is a long way to go in Armstrong's career and a move to Deepdale could, ironically, benefit him in the long-run, with Heckingbottom also known for his effective man-management skills that have galvanised squads to promotion in League One and the Championship.

However, with it also being reported by Alan Nixon that the East Lancashire club are also exploring the possibility of a loan move for Tom Cannon, just months after his £13m move to Sheffield United, the Deepdale masses would likely hope the club pursue their former striker who netted eight times in just 20 appearances in a previous temporary switch from Everton.