Preston North End are interested in a move for attacking midfielder Izzy Brown, a report from Lancashire Live has revealed.

Brown is a free agent this summer following the expiry of his contract with Chelsea, having not been offered a new deal to remain at Stamford Bridge at the end of this season.

Having joined Chelsea from West Brom back in 2013, Brown made just a single appearance for the Blues, instead spending much of his time on the books at Stamford Bridge out on loan elsewhere.

The most recent of Brown's loan spells came last season, when he made 21 appearances in all competitions for Sheffield Wednesday as they were relegated from the Championship.

Now it seems as though Brown could be back in the second-tier next season, with this latest update revealing that Preston are taking an interest in the 24-year-old.

In total, Brown has been out on loan with seven clubs since joining Chelsea, his most successful spell coming when he scored five goals in 21 games to help Huddersfield win promotion from the Championship in 2017.

Last season saw Preston claim 13th place finish in the Championship table, something they will look to build on next season, with Frankie McAvoy now in permanent charge at Deepdale.

The Verdict

I'm not sure about this one for Preston in all honesty.

There is no doubting that Brown is a talented player, however, it just doesn't feel like we have ever seen enough of that during his time out on loan.

Injuries admittedly haven't helped with that, but even when he has been fit, his record is probably not what you would expect for an attacking midfielder on loan in the Championship from a club with the size and pedigree of Chelsea.

As a result, I do think this would represent a risk for Preston from both a form and fitness perspective, meaning that given they do have plenty of options in the centre of the park already, I might be tempted to assess other targets before rushing into a deal here if I were them.