Preston North End are pushing ahead with their ambitious plan to sign Alfie Devine permanently from Tottenham Hotspur, as the club look to build on one of their most exciting loan success stories of recent years.
Devine moved to Deepdale on a season-long loan in August and missed only one match in their 46-game Championship campaign, starting 36 times for Paul Heckingbottom.
The Lilywhites boss now wants to build a promotion-contending team around the 21-year-old midfielder, with North End 20/1 to be promoted next season.
Lilywhites trigger Devine option‑to‑buy
North End triggered their option‑to‑buy clause earlier this month, but the deal is far from straightforward, with the player now reportedly attracting interest from elsewhere.
Born in Warrington, Devine was snapped up by Tottenham when Wigan Athletic - where he had been since the age of 11 - went into administration.
And he quickly announced himself to Spurs fans when he scored within minutes of coming on for his senior debut in a 5-0 FA Cup third-round win over Marine.
At the age of 16 years and 163 days, it made him the youngest player to have played for the North London club in a senior game
A series of loan spells at Port Vale, Plymouth Argyle and Westerlo in Belgium followed, before his breakout campaign at Preston last term.
Devine became a central figure in Preston's early-season bid for the play-offs, registering eight goals and seven assists across 45 appearances.
In total, he created 51 chances - including nine big chances - and completed 20 successful dribbles.
His creativity, directness and ability to carry the ball made him one of the Championship's standout young midfielders and a fan favourite in Lancashire.
However, North End supporters have become wary about falling in love with loan players after seeing the likes of Aidan McGeady, Sepp van den Berg, Alvaro Fernandez and Cameron Archer quickly disappear back to their parent clubs after shining spells.
North End eager not to miss out
Preston are determined to try and make this relationship last.
The Lancashire club inserted a buy option into Devine's loan agreement with Spurs last summer and have now activated it.
The fee is expected to exceed £5m, comfortably smashing the club’s transfer record - previously the £2.5m-£2.8m paid to Portsmouth for Callum Lang in January.
The Lancashire Post reports that the structure of the deal would see North End pay the fee in instalments over three years.
Tottenham's Premier League survival means Devine is unlikely to feature in Roberto De Zerbi's long‑term plans, making a sale the most logical outcome for the Londoners.
With a takeover from US‑Saudi businessman Amr Zedan nearing completion, Preston are eager to make a statement of intent in the transfer market and bringing Devine back permanently would do exactly that.
And Heckingbottom has been clear in his assertion that the club must do everything possible to retain their top loan performers - when asked specifically if he was talking about Devine, he simply replied: "Yeah."
Despite the fee being agreed and personal terms reportedly being settled back in February, Preston still face a major hurdle because Devine has the final say.
Devine displays attract other suitors
The midfielder's performances have attracted significant attention, and several clubs are now circling, with relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to be one of the strongest contenders.
Wolves boss Rob Edwards wants a creative midfielder capable of driving the team back to the Premier League at the first attempt and Devine fits the profile perfectly.
Celtic are another club credited with interest and the Scottish champions have had a string of players head north of the border from Tottenham in recent years.
The lure of European football, trophies and a massive platform for development could be difficult for Devine to ignore.
The Lancashire Post reports that more second‑tier clubs in England are also monitoring the situation, though no formal offers have been made with the size of the transfer fee likely to put a few off.
Devine has been consistent in his messaging, saying he will choose the move that is best for him, not the one others expect.
Preston are scheduled to hold crunch talks with the midfielder next week and, while the club remain hopeful, there is an acceptance that Devine may now seek a different destination.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
