Preston North End hand Coventry City, Plymouth Argyle boost in Cyrus Christie chase | OneFootball

The defender has been a free agent since leaving Hull City in the summer

Preston North End are reportedly not in the race for free agent Cyrus Christie in a boost to the sides interested, including Coventry City, Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, and Rangers.

The update concerning the Deepdale outfit comes in Monday’s report from the Lancashire Post, which claims that Paul Heckingbottom’s side are not considering a move for the 31-year-old as it stands.

Christie is still without a club after being released by Hull City over the summer, with plenty of reported interest in his services emerging in the past few days.

While four clubs remain locked in a battle to secure the ex-Derby County man’s signature, North End don’t look like being one of those involved, with the outlet stating that financial restraints will likely put a halt to any move.

Preston North End ruled out of Cyrus Christie chase

The Lilywhites were one of a number of sides said to be linked with Christie over the weekend, with Football Insider claiming the race was hotting up for the dynamic full-back after the transfer window came to a close.

The Lancashire outfit only added five new recruits over the summer, with Aston Villa loanee Kaine Kesler-Hayden being the only player of a defensive mindset to join the club, leading to a clamour for extra recruitments in the area at Deepdale.

But despite having a spot for one extra body within the squad until January, Heckingbottom and his side are said to be ruled out of a move for the ex-Fulham man, with the reason being that the club don’t have enough room left in their budget for the season ahead.

That update will come as a boost to the other clubs rumoured to be tracking the defender at this moment in time, with the experienced campaigner likely to add plenty to whichever team he decides to commit to for the season ahead.

Championship trio and Rangers still in battle for Cyrus Christie

Despite North End being ruled out of the race for Christie, Coventry, Millwall, and Argyle are still said to have hopes of signing him in the near future, while Rangers are also thought to be considering a move.

With over 400 league matches under his belt at this stage in his career, a player of Christie’s experience can be invaluable over the course of a season, even if he isn’t going to feature in every game.

Over the past three seasons, the defender has played in 23, 28, and 27 matches in spells at Swansea City and Hull but has still proven himself to be a dependable asset during his time in Wales and on Humberside.

While he may now lack some of the explosiveness that he possessed at the start of his career, his ability to maraud up and down the flanks will be appreciated by any of the sides still harbouring an interest in his signature in the coming days.

The Championship trio only have two wins between them to start the 24/25 campaign, with Wayne Rooney yet to find a win as the Pilgrims’ boss, while Mark Robins and Neil Harris have also had difficult starts to their respective seasons.

Rangers’ promising start to the campaign was poleaxed by a 3-0 humbling to Glasgow rivals Celtic last weekend, with the Ibrox outfit looking to add to their defensive options after the defeat.

With one less team to compete against, all clubs will further fancy their chances of getting a deal over the line before too long, with the free agent able to sign outside of the transfer window.