West Ham striker Jordan Hugill could be set for a return to former club Preston North End, The Sun (20/06 print edition, p49) have reported.

Hugill joined West Ham from Preston for a fee reported by the BBC to be worth £10million in January 2018, but the striker has endured a difficult spell at the London Stadium.

The 27-year-old has made just three first team appearances for The Hammers, all three of which came as a substitute, and total to just 22 minutes of Premier League football for Hugill.

Following those tough first few months with The Hammers, Hugill spent last season back in the Championship on loan with Middlesbrough, where he scored seven goals and provided two assists in 41 appearances in all competitions for 'Boro.

The Sun (20/06 print edition, p49), now report that Hugill is not in The Hammers' first team plans for next summer, and Preston manager Alex Neil is keen to bring the striker back to Deepdale as he looks to push the club closer to the Championship play-offs next season.

Hugill originally joined Preston from Port Vale in the summer of 2014, and scored 30 goals in 114 appearances in all competitions for the club during his three and a half seasons with the Lancashire side.

The verdict

I'm not sure about this signing for Preston.

Hugill may not have got much of a chance to impress at West Ham, but he did in the Championship with Middlesbrough during his loan last season, and his record wasn't exactly outstanding, albeit in a side that did struggle for goals all round.

You would also expect that Hugill's wages at West Ham will be far from cheap by Preston's standards, so there could be a risk that this signing could impact on potential other new signings or contract negotiations that the club may want to complete in the summer transfer window.

Preston may therefore want to look for an alternative, potentially cheaper and more reliable alternative to Hugill at this level.