Preston North End face unwelcome distraction ahead of Portsmouth game as bid 'being prepared' for star striker Milutin Osmajic
Preston North End have an unwelcome distraction ahead of their game against Pompey at Fratton Park
Preston North End could find themselves at the centre of a transfer tussle ahead of their trip to Fratton Park on Saturday.
That’s because star striker Milutin Osmajic - who is the Lilywhites’ current top scorer with three goals this season - is being hotly pursued by clubs in Serie A.
So much so that Italian top-flight side US Cremonese are reportedly preparing a bid for the Montenegro international, who bagged 15 goals in all competitions last season as PNE avoided relegation from the Championship on the final day of the season.
According to Sky Sports Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio, La Cremo want the 26-year-old to bolster their attacking ranks, despite their 2-1 victory against AC Milan at the San Siro on Sunday.
They’re keen to steal a march on fellow Serie A sides Lecce and Sassuolo and Spanish outfit Deportivo de La Coruna, who are also supposedly keen on a player North end picked up from Cadiz in a £2.1m deal in the summer of 2023.
Speaking last week, North End boss Paul Heckingbottom said he considered the striker ‘not for sale’. However, the continued speculation over the controversial forward’s future will no doubt come as an unwelcome distraction ahead of this weekend’s trip to Pompey.
In-demand PNE striker ‘not for sale’
North End head to PO4 unbeaten in the league and following impressive back-to-back wins over former Premier League duo Leicester City and Ipswich Town.
That sees Heckingbottom & Co sitting sixth in the Championship table on seven points - two points behind current leaders Stoke and three above the Blues, who sit 11th following their draw with West Brom at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Osmajic has been central to North End’s impressive start to the season, with the international frontman scoring his side’s respective winners against the Foxes and the Tractor Boys.
His importance to this current North End side is clear for all to see. As a result, Heckingbottom is keen to avoid a situation where Osmajic is sold just days before the transfer window closes.
Speaking to our sister title the Lancashire Evening Post last week the Lilywhites boss said: ‘Well, have you seen what some of the players have gone for? He's not for sale. No-one's going to give us that, so he's not for sale. You pick a number, we've got to go and then find a player better than Milly, haven't we? So, if you're asking me, no...’
Heckingbottom added: ‘For me, he's a 20-goal-a-season striker playing in the Championship, definitely... 20-plus. That's how I see him. He thinks he should have already had more goals now. The good thing is he's getting the chances, which is great. So, yeah, I think he is and how he's started the season, he's just reinforcing that.’
Pompey to face PNE for first time since ‘failed’ £2m Callum Land bid
Like PNE, Pompey found themselves at the centre of some unwelcome transfer speculation earlier this summer when firm Fratton favourite Callum Lang was the reported subject of a failed £2m bid from the Deepdale outfit.
Both clubs were quick to dismiss the links, though, with Pompey head coach John Mousinho also insisting that the attacking midfielder was not for sale.
While there’ll now be doubts over Osmajic’s involvement at PO4 on Satuday, Lang will definitely miss the visit of Preston after he picked up a hamstring injury in the Blues’ defeat to Norwich on August 16.