Newcastle United are reportedly interested in the centre-back, and may come up against him in a pre-season friendly this weekend.
It was reported by The Sun at the weekend that Newcastle are interested in Preston North End centre-back Ben Davies, with Steve Bruce becoming an admirer of the defender during his time working in the Championship.
The Magpies are, on paper, strong enough at the heart of the defence for that area of the pitch to not be a huge concern during the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
However, Davies has established himself as one of the more exciting talents in his position in the division, with his ability to play out from the back. If the opportunity is there to get the 23-year-old through the St James’ Park door, Bruce would be wise to try and get a deal done.
And perhaps there is a chance that Bruce could make a final decision on whether to pursue the defender in the coming days, with the two clubs set to play a pre-season friendly at Deepdale on Saturday.
If Davies plays and impresses, then it would be no surprise to see the Magpies step up their reported interest in the North End star in the final weeks of the transfer window.
He will have shown that he is ready to step up to the Premier League ahead of the coming season if he can hold his own against Newcastle this weekend. And Bruce would be forgiven for feeling that it could be a risk to not move this summer when another campaign like the one Davies has just had is likely to see him move onto the radar of several of their top flight rivals before too long.
Of course, the longer Newcastle leave it to make their move, the more likely it is that Preston will increase his asking price. But perhaps it is a sensible decision to take one more good look at the summer target before deciding whether he is the sort of player that the club need to add.
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