Under Paul Heckingbottom, Preston North End are expected to finish in the middle of the table again this season.

The Lilywhites were in contention for a top six spot in the first half of the season, but they were unable to maintain their form and dropped to the bottom half of the Championship.

The Lancashire club still has a few games left to climb back into the top half of the standings, but the play-offs are practically out of reach.

The club is also not in danger of being relegated to League One, so their attention can already shift to the summer and preparations for the following season.

It might be a hectic summer at Deepdale, and Heckingbottom will want to assemble a club that can compete for promotion throughout the season.

Preston haven’t played in the Premier League since 1961.

Preston Takeover Talks

Alan Nixon has revealed that Amr Zedan is in advanced talks to buy Preston before the campaign ends.

The American-Saudi businessman was a VIP visitor at the team’s 1-1 draw with QPR on Monday afternoon, and negotiations are ongoing.

It is estimated that buying the Championship side from the Hemmings family will cost between £12 and 15 million.

Zedan has been hunting for a deal to buy Preston for several months, and it is thought that he is collaborating with a local businessman in his efforts to acquire the club.

However, it remains to be seen whether he can persuade the current owners to sell at this time, and he will also have to pass the EFL’s Owners and Directors’ Test before any agreement can be finalised.

Zedan has met with Ian Sampson and Peter Ridsdale as part of his bid to buy the club, but the latter is unlikely to participate in the takeover talks.

The Hemmings family is eager to identify a suitable new owner for Preston, with the family taking over after Trevor Hemmings’ death in 2021.

Heckingbottom’s side are currently 14th in the table, 10 points behind the play-off places with only five games remaining.

The Lancashire club’s next match is against relegation-threatened Charlton Athletic at the Valley on April 11 at 3 p.m.

Preston’s takeover will depend on the Hemmings family.

If the Hemmings family is willing to sell to Zedan, a deal will almost certainly be reached when the asking price ranges between £12 and 15 million.

Preston are a historic behemoth of English football, thus there is a lot of opportunity to increase the club’s value under the correct ownership.

So it’s a good investment opportunity for someone prepared to put money into that type of business.

However, Zedan will need to persuade the Hemmings family that he has Preston’s best interests in mind, since they want to safeguard the team’s future beyond their ownership.