HITC have reported that Preston North End have rejected a £2.5m bid from Birmingham City for striker Jordan Hugill. 

The 25-year-old English striker made 47 appearances at Deepdale, scoring 13 times across all competitions to make him Preston's top scorer.

Those goals came under former Lilywhites manager Simon Grayson, who is now at the helm at Sunderland, but new boss Alex Neil is clearly keen to keep the firepower of Hugill at Deepdale next season.

The report also outlines that Grayson has designs on a reunion with Hugill at the Stadium of Light, while Ipswich Town and big-spending Wolverhampton Wanderers have also both been linked with a move for the Middlesbrough-born forward.

However, Neil is understandably keen to keep a proven source of goals at his new club and clearly wants an increase on the sum that Harry Redknapp has so far offered him for the former Port Vale hitman.

Although Redknapp has confirmed his interest in more experienced campaigners, such as Premier League veterans Robbie Keane, Stewart Downing and Ashley Cole, he is clearly keen to add some younger blood to his frontline, to bolster an attack that mainly boasts target men in the shape of Clayton Donaldson and Lucas Jutkiewicz.

However, Redknapp must be concerned about Hugill's links with Grayson, the man who brought such inspired performances from the striker last season, as he looks to add goals to an attack suffering from the departure of last season's top goalscorer Jermain Defoe, who left to join Bournemouth on a free transfer.

Preston fans - what do you make of Birmingham's valuation of Hugill? Birmingham fans - how much do you want to see the hitman at St Andrew's next season? Let us know in the comments below...