Preston North End’s dismal start to the current Championship season may have an impact on the takeover talks, which are still underway.

Following a terrible start to the 2026-27 season, the Lilywhites fired manager Paul Heckingbottom.

The Lancashire club has won just one of their first eight league games, placing them 23rd in the table during the September international break.

Fans will be hopeful that their team can turn things around when they return after the season’s first international break, where they will most likely have a new management in place.

Preston were also recently the subject of buyout interest from Amr Zedan, which has added to the uncertainty behind the scenes, despite their high-spending summer transfers.

This article discusses Zedan’s latest attempt to purchase the Championship.

Amr Zedan launched January talks to invest in Preston North End.

Zedan’s interest in PNE first surfaced in January of this year, when it was claimed that he was in talks to take over the club.

According to Sky News, the US-Saudi businessman held several negotiations regarding a possible deal in the hopes of providing Paul Heckingbottom with additional assistance in the mid-season transfer market, but talks had stagnated at that point.

However, he was not the only interested party in the sale, with a number of other investors also looking into the Championship side.

It is reported that the first round of talks began in December 2025, but they were unable to reach an agreement at the time.

Amr Zedan was observed at Deepdale in April 2026.

Zedan was later sighted at the team’s match against QPR in April, just a few days after posting a photo on Instagram of himself watching the 2-2 draw with Leicester City from distance.

The 51-year-old’s curiosity had not progressed in the three months since he initially expressed it.

However, he remained at Deepdale when Heckingbottom’s side drew 1-1 with the London club, showing that he had not walked away from a potential trade.

However, the summer transfer window passed with no meaningful developments on the Lancashire club’s ownership issue.

However, Alan Nixon said in May that his legal agents are still in talks with Preston’s owners, the Hemmings family, about potential investment.

The most recent update from PNE on a potential sale to Zedan came from non-executive chairman Ian Penrose, who revealed in mid-August that the club’s ownership was in discussions “with parties who have made offers to buy PNE on terms that are acceptable to the Hemmings family” but could not offer anything else due to legal constraints.

It is possible that Zedan is one of those parties, possibly in collaboration with a potential minority investor, but there has been no update in over a month – despite the fact that he did share PNE’s victory over Blackburn Rovers to his Instagram story in early September.

Could a managerial change at Preston North End affect Amr Zedan’s takeover plans?

Heckingbottom was in control when Zedan’s interest in Preston initially surfaced earlier this year, but he has since been removed by the current PNE management.

It is certainly too early to claim that the Lilywhites are in danger of relegation, but the club must make the next proper decision or risk a disastrous season.

Zedan, who is still rumoured to be in negotiations, will be keeping a careful eye on how the squad performs because sliding into League One would have an impact on the club’s valuation.

Preston North End’s last five league results.

Opponent (Home or away)

Result

QPR (A)

2-2

Lincoln City (H).

1-0 loss

Watford (A

2-1 loss

Blackburn Rovers (H).

2-1 win

Bristol City (A.)

3-1 loss

According to reports, the Championship team has been granted permission to speak with Bradford City manager Graham Alexander, who may be the man chosen to take over.

However, it is unclear whether Zedan was able to influence the management decision, given his interest in the club remains strong.

Zedan is still spending his money on thoroughbred horses that race primarily in the United States, and he made headlines in April when he paid $10.5 million for a two-year-old colt, the second-highest price ever paid at a North American auction.

That, together with Zedan’s previous horse racing investments over the years, implies he has a lot of money and PNE fans will be hoping for a takeover sooner rather than later.