Out-of-contract Preston North End trio Ben Pearson, Ben Davies and Daniel Johnson have all reportedly turned down club-record deals to remain at the club, per Football Insider.

The Lilywhites have been fighting to keep all three players with their current deals set to expire in June, but it looks like they are fighting a losing one.

Johnson was the subject of transfer interest from Rangers in the summer, and the blue half of Glasgow failed in a £1.5 million bid to try and prize the Jamaican international away from Deepdale.

But it looks like he will be leaving anyway after he has apparently rejected the club's latest £17,000-per week offer.

Similarly Pearson is wanted in Glasgow as well, but by Celtic instead of Rangers and the Hoops are free to pursue a pre-contract agreement with the 26-year-old if they wish.

 

Can you name each of these 17 ex-Preston North End players just by looking at these 3 clues?

 

 

And they're also interested in 25-year-old centre back Davies as well, who has also picked up foreign interest from Serie A side Udinese.

Like Johnson, both Pearson and Davies are said to have rejected new contracts of the same value, with a source close to the club telling Football League World that the latter wants a new challenge, having been at North End since he was a schoolboy.

Football Insider claim that the contract offers were 'take it or leave it' and with the option being 'leave it', PNE are now set to field offers for the trio in what could turn out to be an auction.

The Verdict

It's a shame that the trio who North End have put so much work into are going to potentially run their deals down, but this is the hierarchy's fault for not tying them down at an earlier opportunity.

What is promising though is that PNE have set out to recruit replacements, with Jayson Molumby coming in on loan from Brighton and Ben Whiteman could very well be the Pearson replacement at the base of the midfield.

Interestingly the name of Alan Browne hasn't been mentioned, which could mean the PNE skipper - who is also out of contract in the summer - could be close to penning a new deal.

But it could be a busy month watching the drama unfold at Deepdale as owner Trevor Hemmings will be bracing himself for bids.