Transfers: Leeds and Sheffield United join race for Sunderland and Preston-linked ex-Liverpool attacker

Liam Millar is attracting interest from Leeds United and Sheffield United during the summer transfer window.

The former Liverpool man spent last season on loan in the Championship at Preston North End from Swiss club Basel. However, the Canada international is expected to return to England on a permanent basis this summer.

Sunderland and Preston have been strongly linked with a deal for the winger, with the Black Cats viewing Millar as a potential Jack Clarke replacement should their star man depart for the Premier League during the off-season.

The Athletic states that Leeds United and Sheffield United are now interested in Millar and are set to battle it out for his signature. The Whites will play in the Championship again last season after losing the play-off final to Southampton, while The Blades were relegated from the Premier League.

Millar, 24, scored five goals also chipping in with five assists in 35 Championship appearances for Preston last season. Millar came through the ranks at Liverpool and enjoyed loan spells at Kilmarnock and Charlton Athletic before joining Basel on a permanent deal in 2021.

When asked whether Preston North End could re-sign Millar permanently this summer, boss Ryan Lowe replied earlier this year: “Listen, Liam - I won’t go into too much detail on what we speak about - but he loves it here. He has found a home here, his family are all here and his mum and dad are not far from here. He loves it, but again he is not our player - there is a football club that own him, paid money for him and value him. Depending on what those values are; it’s tough isn’t it, because if you look at the players we’ve had here before - we’ve given game time to them, coached them, they’ve performed and then gone for big bucks.

“We pay their wages, but get nothing out of it - which is fine. Liam has had a fantastic season for us, which we knew he would. He’s been missed of late, because he’s a fantastic player. But, all we can do is potentially put our best offer on the table. He knows that we’d love to keep him and I think Basel know we’d like to keep him. It’s easy for us to say we want to keep him, but I think Liam’s type of contract suits into the way we work.

“So, he is affordable, 100 per cent - but it’s whether he’s affordable to buy. It is whether Peter can thrash a deal out with Basel, and his agent, over it. I am sure there will be other clubs interested in him, but we have a value and if the value is way above then ultimately, you can’t do anything about it. But, Liam has loved his time here, wants to stay here - has said he’d love to stay - but it’s whether we can thrash a deal out with his parent club.”