Championship midfielder linked with January transfer to Portsmouth and Oxford told contract won't be renewed

According to our sister title, the Lancashire Evening Post, the 27-year-old with depart Deepdale after seven years with the club on a free transfer.

Talks over a new North End contract had taken place, with his current deal set to expire in June. However, it’s undestood that the player was informed last week that he will be allowed to exit as a free agent.

The news comes with Ledson sitting on 213 apearances for the Lilywhites since his 2018 move from Oxford United. He has played 30 times for the Championship outfit this season, but only 13 of those outings have come as league starts.

The midfielder missed Preston North End’s defeat to league leaders Leeds United on Saturday because of a hamstring injury but is expected to return before the end of the season.

Pompey were linked with the player during the January transfer window. A former team-mate of Blues boss John Mousinho during their time together at Oxford, a reunion was touted as the Fratton Park outfit looked to strengthen their midfield options for the second half of the season.

A move never materialised, though, with Mousinho instead boosting his engine-room with a loan move for Newcastle midfielder Isaac Haydens.

The Jamaica international has since featured 13 times for the Blues - but his Fratton Park stay is inlikely to be extended beyond the current campaign. Like fellow loanee Freddie Potts, the 30-year-old will return to his parent club and continue his career away from PO4.

Pompey will, therefore, look to bolster their options in that department during the summer transfer window. At present, only Marlon Pack, Andre Dozzell, Terry Devlin and Abdoulaye Kamara are specialist midfielders who contracted to the club beyond the current season, Yet it’s unclear whether Ledson is someone they will consider for the 2025-26 campaign.

As well as the Blues, the midfielder - who can also operate in an attacking role - was linked with a return to Oxford at the beginning of the year.

Ryan Ledson’s PNE career nears end

Born in Liverpool, Ledson had been hoping to extend his stay at Preston and remain in the north west.

He told the LEP last month: ‘I absolutely love it here, everyone knows that. I've been here for seven years now and of course if anything happened, I'd love to stay. But if that's not the case then you've got to go and look after yourself.

‘It's a short career obviously, but everyone knows how much this club means to me. I’ll keep myself fit as I can and I’ll try my best for this club until I'm told otherwise.’

There were also encouraging signs that he might remain at Deepdale - before news of his likely departure broke on Wednesday.

In February, assistant boss Stuart McCall said: ‘We always know what we're getting from Ryan. Even when he's not in the side, in the dressing room before the game he's one that's geeing everyone up.

‘He trains exactly the same if he's in the team or not in the team. You need them players in your dressing room and in your group, so when he has played for us he's performed really well.

‘Ledo was up there in leading from the front, setting the press, communicating, organising, winning fouls when we needed it... all little bits that go into making you a winning side.’

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