The Lilywhites have spoken to a Premier League club about a striker loan deal and hope it can bear fruit before the hiatus.

It’s not a numbers exercise for PNE, just someone seen on the last day to do something.

They know their goal must make a difference and improve on what is already in the Deepdale dressing room.

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Connor Wickham impressed in court in Preston

After today’s deadline, North End will continue to rule striker Connor Wickham.

The 28-year-old has been training at Euxton for about a week to get a contract.

As a free agent who was fired from Crystal Palace in the summer, a possible move from Wickham will not be regulated through the transfer window.

Players without a club can sign at any time, so there is no deadline that has to be met.

It goes without saying that Wickham has impressed in training but needs time to work on his sharpness.

That’s not so surprising considering his last game for the first team was in July 2020 during a loan period in Sheffield Wednesday.

Not much is expected in terms of North End squad spending before the deadline.

There has been some interest in Josh Harrop, but whether it’s on the level to tempt the midfielder remains to be seen.

Harrop made it to the bench against Swansea on Saturday, an unused sub with him.

Previously, he was only involved as a substitute for Mansfield in the Carabao Cup on one match day – again he did not come on the field.

Player isolation and Tom Bayliss’ loan to Wigan opened the door to a return against Swansea.

Before the deadline comes or goes, North End has 27 senior players on the books and only 25 can be registered with the EFL in the championship.

Izzy Brown, who will be absent for the next few months after an Achilles tendon rupture, will only be registered when he is fit again.

That brings the number down to 26, so there will still be one senior player who cannot be registered.

And when in-depth deals are made today, it means the players have to sit out on league football.

With four senior goalkeepers on the books, Connor Ripley might have been one for a move.

It wasn’t interest in him, however, so he might well stay.

Players under the age of 21 do not need to be registered in the official EFL squad, although the number of clubs can be unlimited.

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