Preston North End want to sign Man City player despite £2.3m Norwich City agreement | OneFootball

PNE failed in a move for the teenager in the summer, but they could return to the table this summer if the Canaries do not make their move

Preston North End are looking to revisit their interest in Man City midfielder Jacob Wright this summer - but they would need Norwich City to pass up on their chance to sign the teenager on a permanent basis.

The 19-year-old midfielder landed at Carrow Road on transfer deadline day in February, despite it being reported at the time that he was heading to Swansea City in a £4 million deal.

That move collapsed though, and instead, Wright moved to Norwich on a temporary basis, although an option to buy was included, which means the Canaries can sign the midfielder for an initial £2.3 million this summer if they wish to do so - providing the teen wants the move too.

Preston North End looking into potential Man City, Jacob Wright summer transfer

Many clubs were keen on Wright in January, but North End's interest was hinted by club director Peter Ridsdale after the transfer window closed.

In an interview with PNE Weekly, Ridsdale claimed that at one stage of January's transfer window, North End were quoted £400,000 to sign an unnamed Premier League midfielder, but he ended up departing his club on loan with a £5 million option to buy.

That would tie in with Wright's switch to Norwich, with Fabrizio Romano claiming the Canaries' buy option is valued at that hefty figure with other reports suggesting it is less, but Wright was never named or spoken about explicity as a target.

Journalist Alan Nixon though has now revealed that PNE were keen on Wright in the mid-season window, and they will re-ignite their interest in the summer.

That though all depends on what Norwich do with their option to buy - Wright has played seven times for City so far during his temporary stint in Norfolk, but was an unused substitute on Friday night during their 2-1 defeat to Bristol City.

If there is a chance that either Norwich do not trigger their buy option or Wright turns down the move anyway, North End boss Paul Heckingbottom is said to be ready to swoop for the youngster this summer, with PNE's coffers boosted by their run to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Nixon reports that a fee would need to be above the £2 million mark, and it would likely the same £2.3 million fee that Norwich can snap up the defensive midfielder for in the summer.

Preston North End may already be well-stocked in midfield for 2025-26 amid Jacob Wright news

Having played four times for Man City's first team under Pep Guardiola, Wright clearly has some level of talent, but with a plethora of stars in the Premier League champions' squad, the teenager is unlikely to get game-time in the future - hence why they were happy to include an option to buy in Norwich's loan deal.

With Johannes Hoff Thorup not utilising him against Bristol City though, Wright may be falling out of favour with the Dane already, and that isn't a positive sign in regards to a potential permanent move to Carrow Road this summer.

What that would do though is open the doors up to other possibilities, including North End, but do they desperately need another midfielder?

Heckingbottom will have Stefan Thordarson, Ben Whiteman and Ali McCann all on the books for definite ahead of next season, with the future of Ryan Ledson still to be decided, so competition for places in PNE's engine room would perhaps be even hotter than it is at Norwich.