Preston North End enter transfer race for 25-year-old | OneFootball

Championship outfit Preston North End are currently monitoring former Ipswich Town loanee Bersant Celina ahead of a potential approach this summer, as per a report from TWTD.

The 25-year-old plied his trade with the Tractor Boys last term, recording six goals and six assists in 32 appearances, though a number of these displays came via the bench under Paul Cook and successor Kieran McKenna.

This hasn’t been his only taste of football in the UK though, graduating through Manchester City’s youth system and enduring his first of two spells at Portman Road before moving on permanently from the Etihad Stadium as he joined Swansea City.

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Moving on from the Swansea.com Stadium as joined French side Dijon in 2020, he signed a four-year contract and with that, his deal at Patrice Garande’s side doesn’t expire for another two years.

With a move away being sanctioned last year though, they could be open to letting him go once more and the Lilywhites are one side thought to be interested in the attacking midfielder, who can also operate out wide.

According to TWTD though, they may face considerable competition for his signature with the Kosovan making his mark in Suffolk once again last term.

The Verdict:

It will be interesting to see whether the Lancashire side are willing to fork out a transfer fee for Celina considering the fact there will be plenty of gems they can compete for in the free-agent market in the coming months.

However, this could be a smart move considering there is still room for the 25-year-old to improve further and he could prove to be a goalscoring force from midfield, helping to take pressure off the likes of Emil Riis and others.

This is particularly important for Riis with the Dane enjoying a tough first season at Deepdale before bouncing back during 2021/22 – and this addition of another goalscorer could help to take the pressure off him.

Has Celina’s record in the third tier been good enough to make the step up to the second tier though? That’s questionable considering others including Scott Twine have fared much better than the Kosovan over the past nine months.

Preston are likely to be working within a tight budget once again, so any deal struck would need to be a cheap one, though it’s currently unclear whether Dijon will be prepared to agree to this.