Preston North End and QPR set to enter transfer race for Bolton Wanderers player | OneFootball

Preston North End, Queens Park Rangers and Wycombe Wanderers are interested in signing Bolton Wanderers defender George Johnston.

With just a few weeks of this summer’s transfer window to go, Championship clubs Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers have now been credited with an interest in Bolton Wanderers centre-back George Johnston.

Having avoided relegation on the final day of last season, Paul Heckingbottom will be aiming to ensure Preston do not endure a similarly underwhelming campaign this time around, and further defensive reinforcements appears required.

So far this summer, the Lancastrians have brought in Jordan Thompson, Daniel Iversen, Thierry Small, Michael Smith and Andrija Vukcevic on free transfers.

They have also signed Alfie Devine on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, with Odeluga Offiah, Jack Walton and Shay Reid arriving for undisclosed fees from Brighton and Hove Albion, Luton Town and Cliftonville respectively.

QPR, on the other hand, have been a little quieter, with Amadou Mbengue and Kealey Adamson joining from Reading and Macarthur on free transfers, whilst Kwame Poku and Rumarn Burrell have arrived from Peterborough United and Burton Albion respectively.

Johnston found himself an unused substitute in Bolton’s opening day 2-0 defeat to Stockport County at Edgeley Park, and it could well be that Steven Schumacher and the Whites sanction his sale with little fuss this summer.

QPR, Preston set for transfer race involving Bolton's George Johnston

According to Pete O’Rourke in a report for Football Insider, both QPR and Preston are considering making moves for Bolton defender Johnston, with just a few weeks of the window remaining.

As well as the Hoops and the Lilywhites, it has also been reported that fellow League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers are interested in the former Feyenoord centre-back.

As the report goes on to outline, Johnston is in his final year of his contract at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, and that could lead to Wanderers wanting to cash in on the Scotsman.

Schumacher and the new recruitment side of things at Bolton, featuring new Sporting Director Fergal Harkin and Head of Recruitment Jimmy Dickinson, have been very open to allowing players to leave that had previously been key men for the Trotters.

For example, club captain George Thomason has been sold to Wrexham, whilst Aaron Collins has been moved on to Milton Keynes Dons with Luke Southwood sold to Bristol Rovers. Experienced players such as Ricardo Santos, Gethin Jones and Nathan Baxter were also not retained at the end of their contracts.

Preston and QPR will be confident of being able to poach Johnston with the promise of Championship football, whilst Wycombe, who missed out on promotion in the play-offs last season, will believe they stand a better chance than Bolton of getting up to the second-tier this time around, following another big summer transfer window by the Chairboys; as detailed in the report from O’Rourke.

Johnston would fit in well at QPR and Preston

Johnston didn’t break into the eleven last week ahead of new club captain Eoin Toal and Saint Lucia international Chris Forino, but there is an expectation that the 26-year-old defender will remain a key part of the squad at Wanderers, should he remain at the club.

Since arriving on a free transfer from Feyenoord in the summer of 2021, Johnston established himself as a key man for Ian Evatt for a couple of years, before returning from an ACL injury in 2024.

Johnston’s consistent performance level has dipped since his return from the lengthy injury absence, but he certainly remains capable of putting in excellent showings as a ball-playing left-footed centre-back.

With Heckingbottom likely to again deploy a back three system at Deepdale, it makes sense for Johnston to switch across the county of Lancashire, as he is the ideal profile of defender to play on the left side of a back three.

However, a move to the capital city with QPR would also suit Johnston, with new R’s boss Julian Stephan known for playing a possession-dominant style of football, which would fit in well with the style of player that Johnston is.