Having seen his Preston North End side drift out of contention for the play-offs during the closing stages of the 2018/19 Championship campaign, it is not at all surprising that Alex Neil is looking to bolster his squad ahead of the new season.

With Patrick Bauer becoming the Lilywhites' first signing of the summer on Tuesday, they may be about to make another exciting addition.

According to The Sun (20/06 print edition, p49), Neil is reportedly interested in bringing Jordan Hugill back to Deepdale after the forward was told that he is not in West Ham United's first-team plans for the upcoming campaign.

If this is indeed true, it is imperative that the Preston boss considers both the positives and the negatives that the 27-year-old could have on the club's fortunes over the coming years before committing to a swoop.

Keeping this in mind, we have set out two pros as well as two cons to the Lilywhites securing an agreement with Hugill based on his career to date.

Check them out below...

Pros

He was excellent during his first spell at the club

Although it took Hugill two seasons to really get going at Preston, when he finally reached top gear in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns, he proved to be a real menace in the Championship.

By scoring 20 league goals over an eighteen-month period for the Lilywhites, the forward became somewhat of a hero to many of the club's supporters and therefore if he does end up rejoining the club during this transfer window, he will undoubtedly be welcomed back with open arms.

He could provide another option up-front

Whereas Neil currently has the likes of Sean Maguire, Lewis Moult and Jayden Stockley at his disposal, it could be argued that securing the services of Hugill could result in him being able to build a more effective back-up plan for next season.

A domineering presence up-front, the 6ft striker may be able to form a lethal partnership with one of the aforementioned trio by operating as a target man - particularly with the likes of Maguire.

Cons

His career has stagnated since leaving Deepdale

Since leaving Preston to join West Ham in January 2018, Hugill's career has stagnated as, following a failure to adapt to life in the Premier League, he was loaned out to Middlesbrough for the 2018/19 campaign.

Although he did show fleeting moments of real quality for the Smoggies, a lack of consistency in front of goal saw him drift in and out of Tony Pulis' starting eleven.

Considering just poor he has been over the past year, it may be wise for the Lilywhites to steer clear of signing him as there is no guarantee that he will be able to replicate the form that he displayed before his departure.

It may be more beneficial for the Lilywhites to spend their funds elsewhere

Despite Hugill's struggles at the London Stadium, the Irons will undoubtedly demand a hefty fee from Preston as they look to recuperate some of the £9.18m (via Transfermarkt) that they paid to bring him to the club.

Therefore, if Neil is required to spend big, he may as well use his funds elsewhere this summer as Hugill is clearly a shadow of the player that he once was.