Preston Target Kone Set for Championship Switch as Fee Agreed

Preston North End-linked striker Richard Kone is finally set to depart Wycombe Wanderers this summer. Yet it doesn’t seem like the 22-year-old Ivory Coast international will be heading from Adams Park to Deepdale. Instead, Championship rivals QPR seem poised to pip the race for the sought-after hitman, whose future has also been of interest to Swansea and Premier League Leicester and French top-flight Toulouse.

Indeed, transfer guru Pete O’Rourke has indicated the R’s—who sent Charlie Kelman on loan to Charlton on a £3.5m deal before the new season got underway—have agreed a price with the Chairboys and will sign him at Loftus Road. No figure has been quoted though last week it was indicated the League One club have trimmed their price tag on the forward who found the net 18 times in the league as Wycombe finished fifth and missed promotion via the play-off path. Although it has been indicated Wanderers demanded £5m for Kone, Sky Sports indicated that figure has dropped to £3.5m up-front with more add-ons as the attacker entered the final 12 months of his contract. Reports indicated PNE indicated £3m offer was rejected for Kone as they look for ways strengthening their firepower as we look towards the 2025-26 campaign. Preston North End is still interested in more firepower. That requirement for more attacking reinforcements was underscored on Saturday during the 1-1 draw against QPR as manager Paul Heckingbottom could not bring on any of his available strikers in an attempt to win the game. Summer recruit Milutin Osmajic and summer recruit Michael Smith spearheaded the Lilywhites in the capital but as both Will Keane and Daniel Jebbison—the latter another summer recruit—are already out injured, Preston North End did not have like-for-like substitutes they could bring on and give their forward line a shake-up.

On Sunday it emerged that as part of an effort strengthen their firepower, the Lilywhites are already considering a swoop for Gent forward Andri Gudjohnsen. The 23-year-old Iceland international scored five times for Gent in their country’s top division last season. A £2.5m transfer has been rumored for a player with three years left on his current deal.

Further, MLS and United States Men’s National Team insider, Tom Bogert, has today said that PNE are one of two Championship clubs interested in Minnesota United forward Tani Oluwaseyi. Swansea are also said to be the other club interested. But Bogert also says that an unnamed top-half La Liga club has been rebuffed in a $4m bid for the Canada international. Oluwaseyi has netted 10 times and chipped in eight assists for Minnesota this season.