NORTH End are closing in on a mystery defender, club chairman Derek Shaw has revealed.

But he is refusing to say who he is or where he is from for fear of sparking interest from other clubs.

Preston boss Craig Brown has already developed a reputation for spotting foreign talent after bringing in Ricaro Fuller and Eddie Lewis to the Nationwide.

The new player is believed to be also from the USA, like Lewis.

Chairman Derek Shaw said: "We can confirm we are interested in a big powerful defender from abroad.

"Craig identified the player as one of his main targets for the summer and we currently have an agent working on our behalf to make this happen.

"We dont want to say too much. The player is interesting other clubs as well as ourselves and I wouldnt want to jeopardise anything. We are optimistic that we can make something happen here."

The announcement comes as North End revealed they are about 3,000 season ticket sales short of last year's total, with just a few days to go until a special cut-price early bird deal ends.