Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom has remained tight-lipped about the club’s pursuit of Oxford United winger Stan Mills, although refused to rule out a move.
In what had been a fairly quiet summer for the Lilywhites, it appears as if they are ready to ramp up their transfer business on the eve of the new Championship campaign. French midfielder Leo Leroy became their fifth signing of the window earlier this morning, joining on a three-year deal from Swiss top flight outfit FC Basel.
The 26-year-old has joined goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and attacking midfielder Alfie Devine as the only permanent arrivals to date, whilst Delano Burgzorg and Jusef Erabi have joined on loan from Middlesbrough and Genk respectively.
Preston Pushing Hard For Mills
Preston have been heavily linked with Oxford winger Stan Mills throughout the past few weeks, but are said to have ramped up their interest over the last few days. Reports emerged on Wednesday that the two-time English champions are readying an offer of over £2 million.
The 22-year-old originally joined the U’s on a season-long loan in 2023. However, that deal was cut short after he suffered a season ending injury in an FA Cup clash against Coventry City in January 2024.
He returned to the Kassam Stadium a year later on a permanent deal, helping keep the club in the Championship. The former Everton youngster played a prominent role last season and despite suffering relegation, picked up both the Supporters’ and Players’ Player of the Year awards.
The attacker was absent from Oxford’s Carabao Cup defeat against Leyton Orient last weekend.
Heckingbottom Addresses Pursuit
Preston kick off their Championship campaign with a short trip to newly promoted Bolton Wanderers tomorrow afternoon. Speaking ahead of the clash, the 49-year-old was asked about the links to Mills. Speaking to the media, he answered:
“He’s not our player.
“I don’t talk about other clubs’ players. He’s not our player, that’s it.
“I think if you asked me about him, I’d be comfortable speaking to you about him off record in terms of what I think of him as a lad and a player and what I see from him, but no, not our player, nothing there.
“Will he be with us before the end of the window in terms of us being able to do a deal with him?
“I wouldn’t know until there’s anything to say, it’s pointless speaking.”
Heckingbottom’s response is an interesting one. Although he has refused to be drawn in on the speculation, he hasn’t ruled out Mills being a player of interest.
It appears as if there is certainly work being done between the two clubs behind the scenes. This could be a deal which reaches its conclusion in the coming weeks.
