Cardiff City and Preston North End plot Rotherham United transfer raid | OneFootball

Next season's Championship duo have registered interest in Rotherham United's Denzel Hall

Despite the play-offs still ongoing, plenty of EFL sides who already know which division they'll be spending 2026/27 in are starting to lay down the groundwork for adding to their squads in the summer.

Cardiff City and Preston North End are two sides who will be playing Championship football next season, and both will be looking to hit the ground running early.

With Preston's star men this past year being loanees, and Cardiff's status as a newly-promoted side, the main focus will be to retool and upgrade in certain positions to ensure that they remain competitive in what is expected to be a highly saturated division in terms of quality.

And while there's no easy way to do that, both second-tier sides are looking to take advantage of a team gearing up for a campaign in League Two, where they'd be a much more attractive destination.

Preston and Cardiff hold interest in Rotherham United's Denzel Hall

Indeed, Rotherham United will be playing fourth-tier football for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign this coming summer.

As is the case with any relegated side across the EFL, other teams will be queuing up for certain personnel who are a level above the new division they find themselves in. In Denzel Hall's case, both Cardiff and Preston believe the Dutchman to be two tiers above.

The 24-year-old, who turns 25 later this month, was one of many new faces to arrive at the AESSEAL New York Stadium last summer, signing from Eredivisie side Heerenveen.

One year on, after a less-than-ideal first season in England, Football Insider are reporting that Hall could be on the move again, with the Championship duo expected to compete for his services.

The versatile defender was one of the few rare bright sparks in what was a dismal season for Rotherham, scoring three times in just 22 league starts. Like with many players in the South Yorkshire side, he suffered a lengthy injury last year, missing three months with a hamstring issue to begin 2026.

The report states that, despite being under contract until 2028, Rotherham don't expect Hall to be part of their squad as they look to immediately bounce back into League One, and are prepared to accept any offers that do come their way once the transfer window opens in mid-June.

Denzel Hall would be solid addition to both Cardiff City and Preston North End

Given the number of exciting young stars who have emerged in the Cardiff fold under Brian Barry-Murphy this past season, getting promoted may not be enough to keep some stars in the Welsh capital this summer.

The Bluebirds have been warned that 20-year-old Dylan Lawlor could be attracting Premier League interest this summer, and if that materialises, Hall would be an apt, cost-effective replacement who still has a high ceiling and a good potential resale value.

As for Preston, the report states that the number of ageing players in Paul Heckingbottom's squad may force them to look towards some younger stars who can still make an immediate impact this summer, and Hall would fit that bill, too, especially given his ability to play in the middle of the backline and out on the right.

With the fan favourites this season at Deepdale being loanees, such as Lewis Dobbin, Alfie Devine, and, until he was recalled in January, Harrison Armstrong, the Lilywhites deserve the opportunity to take on a player's development knowing that they're all theirs.

So, both teams have good reason to be pursuing Hall this summer, and with their divisional status, should hold all the cards when it comes to negotiating a deal with Rotherham.

But it may be down to who can table the best bid between them, if they both approach the Millers for the 24-year-old this summer.