A Championship rival chief has given an update on their pursuit of one Sunderland target.
Sunderland will be desperate to bolster their attack this summer, with big expectations on their shoulders if Jack Clarke is to leave.
The winger could gift the Black Cats millions in profit as they look to replace him, but finding a player to gift them a similar return to Clarke could be a real challenge.
While Sunderland are looking to appoint a new manager before they get their transfer business underway, they have already been linked with potential replacements for their star man.
The Wearside outfit have beenlinked with Liam Millar for months now, with the ‘unstoppable’ 24-year-old impressing whilst on loan at Preston North End.
Millar joined the Lilywhites from Basel last summer and claimed five goals and five assists in 27 starts.
The attacker is attracting interest from Burnley, Sheffield United and Sunderland, but it could be Preston that hold an advantage in their race due to his success there last term.
Preston keep trying for ‘unstoppable’ Sunderland target
Preston director Peter Risdale has now addressed their interest in Millar and has refused to rule out a return for the forward.
Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, he said: “Liam Millar has left because he was on loan, he wasn’t our player.
“It doesn’t mean that me saying he’s left doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance of him coming back. It just means at the moment that he is not ours.
“Are we still talking to him, his agent and Basel? Yes. I don’t know what the outcome will be so I am planning without Liam but that isn’t a foregone conclusion that he won’t be coming back.”
It was reported last week that Preston would need Basel to lower their valuation of the winger if they are to sign him permanently in the coming months.
Sunderland don’t want to overpay for Liam Millar
While Clarke’s potential exit could put Sunderland in a very good position if they want to replace him, they don’t want to overpay either.
Millar did impress at Deepdale but his ten goal contributions is still far from the performances Clarke put on, while it was actually the first time in his senior career that he had reached double figures.
Burnley and Sheffield United are likely to also be in a much better position financially than both Sunderland and Preston, and the last thing the Black Cats want is to end up in a bidding war.
However, they will have to be aware that if they do want to replace Clarke properly then they can’t be tight with their money. If the player is capable of reaching the heights of the 23-year-old, then they have to pay up.