"He's not going anywhere" - Preston North End warned as Barnsley transfer pursuit eyed up | OneFootball

Adam Phillips is being linked with a switch to his boyhood club PNE

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been reported that Preston North End have reached out regarding the availability of Barnsley midfielder Adam Phillips.

The 26-year-old creative spark joined the Tykes from Burnley for an undisclosed fee at the end of the 2022 summer transfer window and has since become a key player at Oakwell.

From the centre of the park last season he managed an impressive 12 goals and six assists in 44 League One appearances, likely prompting this latest interest, with the Lancashire Evening Post reporting that an enquiry has been lodged from the Championship side.

FLW's Barnsley Fan Pundit, Andy Symcox, doesn't see PNE's apparent interest going anywhere.

And whilst a potential price-tag was not offered, it has been hinted that Barnsley should be looking for more than the £4.5 million they received last year for defender Liam Kitching.

Speaking to Football League World, Andy said: “Adam Phillips is a very important player for Barnsley. We have let go this summer a number of players who are our top goalscorers and he is another one.

“Last season, towards the end of the transfer window, Liam Kitching - a defender - went for a good amount of money; we believe about £4.5million, maybe £5million.

“Adam Phillips, as a goalscorer and an attacking midfield player, I call him the magician, because he can do things and see things that other people don’t. “He can whip a beautiful cross in. He can find a pass that no one else has seen. “So, for me, he would command an incredibly high fee. I don’t believe that we would entertain any fee, unless it was really, really stupid money, and I don’t believe that that would be the case.

“Two years left on his contract, plus a further year as an option for the club - so, in effect, three years - he’s not going anywhere.”

Barnsley may find it tough to stop Adam Phillips from wanting Preston North End move

Bowing out of the race for promotion by just one goal in the play-off semi-final against Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley fans will know all too well how close they came to returning to the Championship.

Being one of the teams to hold their own at the top of the third tier but just missing out on promotion means their better players will be ripe for poaching from the league above, as is seen by this link.

Having already lost last season's top goalscorer, Devante Cole, and seeing their second-top scorer in John McAtee return to parent club Luton Town, to lose Phillips - third on the list and topping the charts for assists last season - would give the Tykes a lot of work to do in the transfer window.

Coming as close as they did to promotion, this is not the time to be rebuilding if it can be avoided. It's the time to reinforce the squad and sprinkle a bit of quality where it's required to attempt to go one better next season.

As Andy suggests, with up to three years left on his current deal, Barnsley should not be considering anything other than an astronomical fee to let Phillips depart.

However, Barnsley have never stood in the way of a player moving up the pyramid if the right money comes, and Phillips could really be tempted by the move to Deepdale.

It may not be known to all, but Phillips is a boyhood North End fan, having regularly taken in matches when he was younger, and he was born and raised in nearby Garstang.

Therefore, should an offer come for Phillips from North End, there could be a case of the midfield maestro pursuing the move and even handing in a transfer request, but the Lilywhites would still have to stump up the cash.