Bournemouth have had an initial £3m offer for Preston's Ben Davies rejected by the Championship side.

The 25-year-old has been a key player for Alex Neil over the past few years and his impressive performances last season have caught the eye of several clubs, with Leicester City previously credited with an interest in the centre-back.

However, they haven't made a firm bid for Davies but the Cherries have. That's after Lancashire Live revealed a £3m offer, lower than had been reported elsewhere, was rejected by North End.

They also add that Preston are holding out for around £10m for their key man, so Bournemouth will have to improve their bid significantly if they are to agree a deal.

The speculation surrounding his future didn't impact Davies as he was selected in Neil's XI for the defeat against Swansea City yesterday.

As for Bournemouth, Jason Tindall is on the lookout for a new centre-back after the club sold Nathan Ake to Manchester City in a big-money deal earlier in the window.

The verdict

In truth, this is a pretty insulting offer from Bournemouth as Davies has shown himself to be a very good player at this level and he is still relatively young.

Of course, it's a common negotiation tactic but they will not have expected to have any success with an offer that low.

It's now down to Bournemouth to return with another bid and it would be a good bit of business if they could bring Davies to the club.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.