Bolton Wanderers have been given a sign of encouragement in their hopes to sign Will Keane.
The Trotters are in the market for a new forward and according to the Lancashire Evening Post, they have identified the Preston North End striker as a potential option. With Daniel Jebbison arriving at Deepdale with a promising opening performance against Liverpool in pre-season, the Irish forward may find it harder to come by regular game time under Paul Heckingbottom.
Schumacher Finds Option
According to the LEP, Preston are not against a sale of Keane this summer, just 12 months on from tying him down to a new deal amid interest from West Bromwich Albion. However, the former Wigan Athletic man only played 27 games in the second tier last season, scoring only three times across 1,124 minutes.
Whilst North End will not force a move to sell the 32-year-old, with one year left on his current deal they would be open to the right offer for Keane. Bolton have been named as an interested party, but may be scuppered with his reluctance to drop down to League One despite his desire for regular game time. This follows a report from Darren Witcoop yesterday, which stated unnamed League One sides were interested in Keane and Josh Bowler of Nottingham Forest.
Wanderers need new forward options after selling last season’s top scorer in Aaron Collins to Milton Keynes Dons, further exacerbating their scoring issues after falling more than 20 goals short of their previous season’s total in the third tier.
Writers’ View
After initial speculation yesterday that Bolton Wanderers were in for Will Keane, it seems that it has now been confirmed that The Trotters are interested in the veteran. Of course, this is not a straight forward move should Steven Schumacher decide to pursue it, with them first having to table an acceptable offer to Preston before convincing the former Manchester United man to drop down into League One. However, should they complete a deal, Keane would be a great replacement to Aaron Collins and alongside another forward Bolton can return to their previous joys in front of goal during their time under Ian Evatt.
