Among the group of Irish players that were likely to switch clubs this summer, Alan Browne was one of the more interesting cases.
The Cork man has spent his entire professional career at Preston North End, joining as an 18-year old back in 2014. He has since gone on to make over 400 appearances for the club, being appointed as captain in recent years.
However, it was apparent that Browne was keen to move on at the end of the season when his contract expired. He turned down numerous offers of a new deal at Deepdale, including one that would have been the largest in the club's history.
His exit was finally confirmed in recent weeks, meaning the midfielder was available on a free transfer. He has been linked with numerous clubs in recent months, including ones in both Italy and Turkey.
It seems as though he has opted to remain in England.
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Alan Browne Set To Seal Free Transfer To Championship Club
The Irish Examiner are among those to report that Alan Browne is set to undergo a medical with Sunderland this week ahead of a signing a deal with the Championship club.
Sunderland entered last season among the promotion contenders, although a disastrous end to the campaign would see them finish in 16th in the league. However, they will be keen to make another play-off tilt in the upcoming campaign, having reached that stage in the 2022/23 season.
It will be hoped that bringing in a Championship stalwart such as Alan Browne will aid them in this endeavour.
The 29-year old has been a fixture in Ireland squads since making his debut back in 2017, and while he has never quite managed to nail down a spot in the starting XI, he has racked up 35 caps over the last number of years.
He is likely to be a valuable squad member under the next permanent manager, with some good form at his new club only likely to help in that regard.
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