Preston North End are pushing forward in order to strike a seven-figure deal to sign Oxford United winger Stanley Mills.
The Lilywhites were one of many Championship clubs keen on a deal to sign the 22-year-old, as part of their efforts to find a long-term successor to the departed Lewis Dobbin, who joined Southampton from Aston Villa.
Preston Edge Closer
Now, according to Alan Nixon through his Patreon channel, Paul Heckingbottom are gearing up for a final push to get a deal over the line, with a reported £2 million offer with additional appearance fees on the cards.
That matches a previous estimate reported by Nixon back in July, with it being stated that a deal would enable the Lilywhites to enact a formation change heading into their Championship season.
While both clubs are still ‘haggling’ over a final price, it is believed that Mills has become unsettled and Oxford may now be open to accepting the offer that Preston hand them.
Heckingbottom has tinkered with his setup towards the end of last season, deploying both a 3-5-2 and a 4-3-3 formation, and entered this season using a 3-4-3 during their EFL Cup first-round victory over Huddersfield Town.
Mills was a key player in Oxford’s failed battle to avoid relegation to League One, playing in all but three of their league matches last season, providing three goals and four assists.
He has had a disrupted pre-season campaign due to fitness issues, and missed out completely in Aaron Ramsey’s debut U’s squad as they fell to defeat away from home against Leyton Orient in the cup.
Oxford Left With More Headaches
While Stanley Mills would make a great addition to Preston North End as they look to replace Lewis Dobbin following the expiry of his loan deal, it leaves questions as to how Oxford United can respond to a possible sale.
The Yellows are currently under a transfer embargo, which is not expected to be lifted until January and given the other business they have done in selling their fringe strikers and other options, leaves the club drastically short with no way to replace them.
Ideally, they would have been able to complete a deal for Jordan Thomas prior to the restrictions being imposed, which would have provided some relief, but that failed to come to pass, and instead allowed Doncaster Rovers to take their target.
Aaron Ramsey will now have to figure out a way around losing one of his star attackers and with other players speculated to leave, including Brian de Keersmaecker and Ciaron Brown, Oxford could be down to bare bones and forced to rely on their academy crop to see them through to the new year.
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