Preston North End are reportedly in negotiations with Fulham over a deal to sign striker Jonah Kusi-Asare on loan until the end of the season.
It's been a difficult start to the campaign for Paul Heckingbottom's men as they slipped to their third consecutive defeat of the new Championship campaign with a 1-0 loss to Charlton Athletic at The Valley.
The result leaves North End second from bottom ahead of the visit of Bristol City at Deepdale on Tuesday night.
One area Preston desperately need to address before the window concludes is their lack of striking options and the club are making an effort to bolster the firepower at Heckingbottom's disposal.
According to transfer insider Pete O'Rourke, the Lilywhites have made contact with Premier League side Fulham over the availability of Kusi-Asare, who joined the Cottagers on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich earlier this summer.
The 19-year-old spent last season on loan at Fulham from the Bavarian giants and made 10 appearances in all competitions before the west London club decided to make his stay permanent in a £5million deal.
Fulham's faith in the 6ft 5in striker is showcased by the five-year deal awarded to Kusi-Asare upon joining the club, and while it was widely expected the former AIK frontman would play a larger role under Alvaro Arbeloa this term following the departure of Raul Jimenez, the acquisition of Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid means Fulham are likely to sanction Kusi-Asare's temporary exit.
Kusi-Asare has represented Sweden at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level.
Despite failing to score for the senior team, Kusi-Asare impressed under Hayden Mullins in the Under-21 side with four goals in five Premier League 2 appearances.
Preston's striking options have been depleted following the departures of Will Keane and Michael Smith, while Milutin Osmajic joined Serie A side Genoa in a €2.5m deal.
North End were reliant on the loan market to enhance their striking options last season with Daniel Jebbison and Milos Lukovic joining on a short-term basis. In previous years the club has found success with Tom Cannon and Troy Parrott in 2022/23, while Cameron Archer's temporary stay at Deepdale was a hit - and Preston will be hoping Kusi-Asare can replicate their goalscoring impact.
On the striker search, Heckingbottom said: “We have been clear about that (bringing a striker in) all summer whether it’s wide players, been close on a lot of players but not managed to get them over the line and it’s also been front players.
“But when we lost Milly that became more of a priority.”
