Curle confirms interest in Preston striker Nugent

Keith Curle has confirmed he's interested in bringing Preston North End striker David Nugent to the Cobblers this summer.

The 35-year-old has been told by Preston boss Alex Neil that he is free to leave the club after being reduced to a bit-part role in the Championship last season.

Despite turning 35 earlier this year, Nugent is certain to attract interest from all around the country due to his impressive scoring record, both in the Championship and the Premier League. He also scored on his only England appearance, a 3-0 victory over Andorra in 2007.

Northampton are among those clubs pursing a deal for the experienced striker and the two parties have already held discussions over a possible move.

"I spoke to David and I spoke to his representatives and also to Preston," confirmed Curle after his side's friendly defeat to Luton Town on Saturday. "But as you can imagine, a player of his quality has options.

"Nothing has been discussed with regards to finances, at the moment it's purely about David sorting out his affairs at his end and then making the choice in terms of where he sees the next stage of his career going.

"But the pleasing thing is that we're in there talking to the right people and I think that shows what we're about - we're trying to bring the right personnel, the right characters and the right ability sets into the squad."

Curle was asked about Nugent after the striker's comments to TalkSPORT the previous afternoon.

"I've spoken to Keith Curle at Northampton," Nugent revealed on Friday. "I had a really good conversation with him.

"That would a good location for me and Keith told me his plans for the season, but hopefully I'll have a chat with a few other clubs and then I'll decide."