Barnsley FC midfielder Adam Phillips targeted by Championship outfit Preston North End

Reports in Lancashire have stated that the Championship club - seeking to bolster their options in the middle of the park with the future of captain Alan Browne being uncertain - are keen on the 26-year-old, who hails from nearby Garstang and expressed some interest in the player, having made contact with the Reds.

Phillips has shown his penchant as a goalscoring midfield during two seasons at Oakwell since joining the club in the summer of 2022 from Burnley.He netted 12 times last term as was named as League One’s EFL player of the month for February.

In his first season at the club, he found the net on ten occasions.

Speaking in May, sporting director Mladen Sormaz insisted that Barnsley are under no pressure to sell any leading players following their failure to be promoted back to the Championship.

Their squad has been depleted by the departure of several key players who chose to leave the club at the end of their current deals with Devante Cole, Nicky Cadden, Jordan Williams and Herbie Kane all leaving with their contracts officially expiring this weekend.

Phillips' deal runs out in the summer of 2026 with a further year's option.

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Speaking at the time, Sormaz said: “I’ll be honest, in general we don’t want to sell anyone.

"Most of the time with our best players, someone has to come in with silly money for any of our best players to leave.

"The good thing is that we have got our best players locked down on long-term contracts so we’ve got leverage.

"But we don’t want anyone who can contribute next season, especially at the top end of League One, to leave. Offers could come in, that can always happen in football. But we don’t have any plans to sell.”