Preston North End join Burnley, Blackburn Rovers & Hull City in Nottm Forest transfer chase | OneFootball

Preston North End are the latest Championship club to express an interest in Lewis O'Brien

Preston North End are the latest in a long line of Championship clubs to express an interest in taking Lewis O'Brien on loan for the second half of the season.

That's according to Alan Nixon, who claims North End boss Paul Heckingbottom is a huge admirer of O'Brien and would love to take him on loan before the window slams shut in a little over a week's time.

Back-to-back Championship wins, including a 2-1 triumph against Middlesbrough on Saturday, have propelled Preston away from immediate danger, but unwilling to rest on his laurels, Heckingbottom is keen to strengthen his squad to avoid getting pulled back in.

North End's revival of late has actually moved them nearer to the play-offs than the bottom three, and O'Brien is perhaps being viewed as a key man to keep the Lancashire outfit on an upward trajectory, especially with midfield general Ben Whiteman now being sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ankle injury.

Preston North End keen on Lewis O'Brien but face stiff competition

Football League World exclusively revealed earlier this month that Preston's Lancashire rivals Burnley were interested in O'Brien, and their league position would in theory make them a more attractive proposition.

Hull City and Blackburn have also been credited with an interest in signing the forgotten Nottingham Forest man by Nixon, so North End certainly aren't short of competition as they look to bolster their midfield.

The major stumbling block for anyone trying to sign O'Brien has been that Nixon reports he earns £40,000 per week, which would make him the highest earner at most clubs in the division, and some will be unwilling to break their wage structure.

But today, Nixon has suggested that Forest may now be willing to cover half of those wages in an attempt to move him on, and that's alerted Heckingbottom at Deepdale, who has previously tried to sign O'Brien whilst in charge of Sheffield United.

Lewis O'Brien would be a real coup for Preston North End

Preston have historically found it difficult to compete against Championship sides in the market, largely owing to the financial superiority most of their rivals have, so to have competed as they have done for years is admirable.

Heckingbottom will know though that their squad is a little thin on the ground where quality is concerned if they're to continue their march up the table, and O'Brien would really help boost their squad.

He's got a wealth of Championship experience and was even in a Huddersfield side which made the play-off final in 2022, so he ticks a lot of boxes for Preston, but fending off rival interest may be their undoing in this case.