Old boy eyes Blues ace

Everton striker Victor Anichebe is a loan target of Preston, but boss Alan Irvine is doubtful David Moyes would let him leave Goodison.

The North End boss is still hoping to beef up his attacking options, despite the new Championship campaign kicking off with a tough trip to Ipswich Town on Saturday. And he has identified the young Nigerian frontman, who is currently at the Olympic Games, as a potential loan acquisition having worked with him during his time as Moyes' assistant at Everton.

"Victor is a really good player," Irvine told Sky Sports News. "I know him really well and if Victor was here that would be absolutely fantastic for us.

"But David is having enough problems himself getting players in and Victor is at the Olympics in any case, and so I don't think David will be in the position to let players out on loan until such time as he got his own squad sorted out.

"Like I say it is not just Everton, most managers I speak to are saying the same thing - in that they are having difficulty bringing in the players they want to."