The 3 Preston North End players we can see leaving in January | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at three players who could potentially leave Preston North End during the January transfer window.

Preston North End have not made the start that they would have hoped for in the Championship so far this season, and Paul Heckingbottom may already be looking ahead to January to see if he can strengthen his squad during the transfer window.

The 47-year-old replaced Ryan Lowe in the dugout at Deepdale during the first month of the campaign and secured a 1-0 victory over Luton Town in his first game in charge, although a difficult run of results since then means PNE are languishing towards the bottom of the table.

There are a couple of months before the former Sheffield United boss will get an opportunity to add to his squad for the first time, but with a few important players set to be out of contract next summer, he may find himself working harder to fend off interest from other clubs.

Freddie Woodman, Duane Holmes, Emil Riis, Ryan Ledson, and Kian Best are all included in the group of players that is currently set to be out of contract at the end of the season, as per Transfermarkt.com, so the club may need to consider cashing in on a few of them if they cannot be convinced to sign new deals amid the relegation battle that Preston could well find themselves in.

Defender Jordan Storey will also see his contract come to an end in 2025 as things stand, and he is a player who could certainly attract transfer interest, although the 27-year-old has made it clear that he hopes to agree fresh terms.

Let's take a more in-depth look at a few of the other players who are out of contract in 2025 and could leave North End during the January transfer window.

Liam Lindsay

Centre-back Liam Lindsay signed a two-year contract extension in December 2022 that will see his deal expire next summer.

The 28-year-old recently received the first Scotland call-up of his career following an impressive run of form at the heart of Preston's defence, and could be set to feature against Croatia and Portugal during the international break.

North End supporters will hope that the club can agree a new deal with the defender, although he may want to move on to try and test himself at a higher level.

While at Barnsley, he was linked with a £6 million move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018 before he ended up joining Stoke City for around £2.5 million the following year, but he may still have ambitions of playing in a top flight division before the end of his career.

Considering that he is a left-footed centre-back and his contract is set to expire next summer, it would be no surprise if a club came in with an offer to sign Lindsay in January, especially if he can back up his performances for PNE with a good run of games at international level.

If Preston do find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle when the transfer window comes around, they could decide that keeping hold of Lindsay and losing him for free in the summer is the right decision as they attempt to survive in the Championship, but if the right offer comes in, then there is every possibility he will move on.

Kian Taylor

Teenage midfielder Kian Taylor could leave Preston on loan in January in order to gain some first team experience, and to see how he performs as he looks to earn a new contract with the club before it expires next summer.

The youngster made his debut in the EFL Cup last season and also appeared on the bench in the Championship on a few occasions, but he now needs to show that he deserves to be kept on at Deepdale.

A temporary departure ahead of the second half of this season could give him the platform to do just that, and with fellow youngster Josh Seary landing himself a temporary switch to Northern Irish top tier side Larne in the summer, a similar level of club could be good for Taylor to be tested.

Kitt Nelson

19-year-old Kitt Nelson is in a similar position to Taylor, in the sense that his deal is also due to run out in 2025.

He has yet to make a senior appearance for PNE, but aside from playing in under-21's matches in the Central League and the Premier League Cup, a loan move in January would give him an opportunity to prove that he has the potential to make an impact at Deepdale in the future.

Primarily an attacking midfielder or winger, Nelson has featured a couple of times for the under-21's in the unfamiliar position of right-back, so as he works on his versatility on the pitch, a loan move out into non-league could give him the scope to improve - whether that is in his natural position or back in defence.