According to sources who spoke exclusively to Football League World, Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City, Preston North End, and Wigan Athletic are in a four-club competition to sign Fleetwood Town custodian David Harrington.
All four teams are vying for the 25-year-old's services ahead of the 2025–2026 season, indicating that he is in high demand this summer and has plenty of suitors.
Following the loan arrival of highly regarded custodian Teddy Sharman-Lowe from Chelsea, who was first called by FLW, Bolton is in need of more depth between the posts after selling Luke Southwood to Bristol Rovers.
After being relegated from the Championship, Cardiff is getting ready for their first season in English football's third division in over 20 years. Brian Barry-Murphy, the team's recently hired head coach, is expected to improve his goalkeeping options.
Preston has reconnected with former loan star Daniel Iversen, but they are still looking for a backup for the former Leicester City player.
Meanwhile, Wigan's Sam Tickle is expected to show interest in the upcoming weeks and months, and manager Ryan Lowe may profit from beating out Bolton, Cardiff, and the Lilywhites for Harrington's signature in the event of a departure, as FLW first reported.
Transfer interest in David Harrington of Fleetwood Town by Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City, Preston North End, and Wigan Athletic
After a breakthrough season at Fleetwood, where he amassed 20 mainly impressive League Two performances before having his campaign cut short by a shoulder injury in December, FLW can disclose that Harrington is of interest to the four.
Harrington, who joined Fleetwood from Cork City in January 2023, is currently in the last year of his contract with the fourth-tier team. According to FLW, the 25-year-old is eager to play more frequently at a higher level so that Craig Bellamy will consider him for Wales' squad at the FIFA 2026 World Cup next summer.
Harrington, who was born in Cork, was a surprise addition to the Red Dragons' roster for their UEFA Nations League doubleheader against Iceland and Türkiye in November.
However, he was left off of the matchday squads for both games and hasn't played since, having missed the second half of the season.
He is keen to make the squad for the World Cup in North America if Wales are to qualify, though, and plans to push his way into Bellamy's head.
Harrington, 25, has already experienced two severe shoulder injuries in his career; the first prevented him from joining Everton of the Premier League in 2022.
A starting spot at Deepdale may be extremely difficult to come by, even though Preston is the only team among Harrington's current suitors that can promise Championship football for the upcoming year.
Cardiff may have the best chance of winning the race, but Bolton and Wigan may both be confident in their ability to use geography to their advantage in any attempts to arrange a deal.
The Bluebirds are expected to enter the goalkeeping market and are one of the early favourites to return to the Championship on their first try.
Although fans are eager to see an upgrade found for the 30-year-old, Jak Alnwick, who took Ethan Horvath's spot early in the previous season, was left out of Cardiff's squad for the preseason tour to Spain due to a back spasm.
Horvath, meanwhile, is anticipated to depart Cardiff this summer after being relegated, and the chance to play in League One is unlikely to further his own aspirations of being included in Mauricio Pochettino's final United States World Cup team.
It appears likely that Harrington will go, which might allow him to challenge Alnwick for the top spot if a transaction goes through and subsequently wins.
Naturally, playing football in the Welsh capital would keep him very much on Bellamy's radar before the World Cup, which might make Cardiff the most alluring location for Harrington and help them fend off competition from Preston, Wigan, and Bolton.
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