Caoimhin Kelleher is highly thought of at Liverpool, with the Cork native having two Carabao Cup appearances under his belt already this season. That is a tally he will add to tomorrow night, with Liverpool set to field a youth team in the game against Aston Villa due to their commitments at the Club World Cup.
His immediate future after this point is unclear. Should his side lose that game, Kelleher would be unlikely to see any first team action for the remainder of the season.
That has led some to suggest a January loan move could be a possibility. It is believed Liverpool would be open to such a deal.
A number of Championship clubs had been credited with an interest, with Preston North End the most strongly linked. However, that move now looks unlikely.
The Lancashire Evening Post are reporting that Preston won't make a move for Kelleher as they are happy with their current goalkeeping options. It is believed that his relative inexperience at first team level would be also be a major stumbling block.
The report mentions that while Preston have brought in young goalkeepers on loan in recent seasons, all of those players had far more first team appearances than the two sported by the Irishman. For a team making a serious push for the Premier League this term depending on such an inexperienced player would understandably be seen as a massive risk.
Liverpool would also seek assurances about consistent playing time in any deal, something they would be hesitant to provide.
Even if Preston are out of the running there will no doubt be other suitors, especially a little further down the divisions. Half a season at Championship level could be huge for Kelleher's development, with a place in the Irish senior squad a major possibility should he play consistent first team football.
