Bolton Wanderers have been linked with a move for Preston North End forward Will Keane.
According to Alan Nixon, the striker may be moving to Whites because of some doubts over his future at Deepdale.
The 32-year-old is on the League One team’s shortlist of potential summer additions, although they are not a major priority, according to The Bolton News.
Since the team hopes to be promoted to the Championship this season, Steven Schumacher will be eager to add players to his roster before the market closes.
Here, we examine how much Bolton could have to pay Keane in wages in order to close a deal using approximated estimates from Capology.
Will Keane’s Preston wages
After Wigan Athletic was relegated to League One, Keane left the Latics to join Preston during the summer transfer window of 2023.
Despite the forward’s twelve Championship goals, the team failed to make it in the second level and finished last.
He signed a deal with the Lilywhites that will pay him £6,000 a week until the summer of 2026.
His weekly salary of £5,923 is greater than the average of any player in Preston’s current roster.
He is not, however, among the top three earners in Paul Heckingbottom’s team, which includes Robbie Brady, Ali McCann, and Liam Lindsay.
Brady’s contract with Preston pays him £13,500 per week, while Lindsay and McCann both receive £15,000 per week from the Lancashire team.
Out of all the teams vying for a spot in the Championship next season, Heckingbottom’s team has the 20th-highest payroll.
They provide their players £148,077 a week, and the team wants to improve on its 20th-place ranking from the previous campaign.
Meanwhile, Bolton will be eyeing promotion to the Championship, having suffered a disappointing decline to eighth in the standings.
Bolton Wanderers’ total salary spend
As of the start of the 2019 League One season, Bolton’s total weekly compensation is £98,712, which is less than the lowest Championship wage bill.
Given that they make about £4,900 a week on average, any agreement for Keane may enable them to pay him over £6,000 a week from Preston.
He would, however, probably rank among their highest earners, which may not be what they want to do right now.
| Will Keane – Preston North End league goals and appearances (per Fbref.com) | ||||
| Season | Appearances (Starts) | Goals (Assists) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 38 (32) | 13 (3) | ||
| 2024-25 | 27 (13) | 3 (0) | ||
Bringing in a 32-year-old forward who is coming off of a lackluster goal-scoring run in the Championship at a high salary might not be the best use of the Whites’ resources as they aim to maintain a healthy spending balance.
Bolton has until September 1st to complete any outstanding summer transfer business. This will allow them to play a few games of the upcoming season before deciding on any final additions.
Preston may be amenable to a trade at any point in the market, given Keane has probably slipped lower down Deepdale’s hierarchy since Michael Smith joined the team.
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