Former £9m Sunderland and Sheffield Wednesday striker bags reserve trial with Championship outfit

Preston North End will look at Connor Wickham in their opening Central League game of the season this afternoon against Walsall at Euxton.

That’s according to the Lancashire Evening Post – a sister title to the Sunderland Echo.

The 28-year-old striker was released by Crystal Palace at the end of last season and has been training with North End for more than a fortnight.

The Championship club are said to be weighing up whether to offer him a contract.

Indeed, Preston would be able to sign him outside of the transfer window with him being a free agent.

Wickham has played just 33 league games in the past four seasons.

However, the player enjoyed a four campaign stint at the Stadium of Light – with loans at Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday in between – following an £8m move from Ipswich Town back in 2011.

The fee broke Ipswich's record for transfer fees recouped, and broke the transfer record for an EFL player moving to an EPL club at the time.

The former England youth international found the net just 15 times in 91 appearances on Wearside before sealing a move to Palace on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee in 2015.

Sources at the time reported the fee as a fee rising £9m, meaning around £17m in transfers has been spent on Wickham throughout his career.

The striker scored two goals in 13 games on loan at Sheffield Wednesday in 2019-20, but did not feature at all last season as the Owls were relegated to League One.

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