St Pat's want to swoop for Adam O’Reilly after Preston North End said he is free to leave the Championship club.
And Corkman O’Reilly, 21, admits the parting of the ways is ‘a weight off his back’ as he looks to nail down regular game time.
Preston will put his name around English clubs, but the all-action midfielder could make a swift return to the Saints after impressing in a season-long loan move this year.
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But as the door opens for O’Reilly, defender Paddy Barrett - who signed a long-term contract extension this time last year - has left the Richmond Park outfit.
Mirror Sport understands that Shelbourne are the front-runners to sign him, although Dundalk and Cork City are also admirers.
O’Reilly’s future could be ironed out quickly having become an instant hit with the Saints fans after 35 appearances, including European games. But St Pat's are unlikely to be his only League of Ireland suitors.
Preston boss Ryan Lowe has told the Corkman that he won’t stand in his way even though he is under contract until the summer.
Lowe said: “We had a good conversation with Adam. He was in last week with his two agents - an English agent and an Irish agent.
“He has done fantastically well and there’s no point in him coming back with the group, to not play any games.
“What we've said to Ads is that we're giving him the opportunity to venture and find a new challenge and a new club.
"We’ve given him a little bit of time off over Christmas, because he's not long finished, so he can spend some time with his family and think about what he really needs to do.
“After Christmas, if he has not sorted anywhere out, he will come back and train. But, as for now, his agent thinks it's the best thing for him to go and find a new chapter.”
O’Reilly, 21, joined Preston in 2018 but made just one first-team appearance and had loans with Hyde United, Stalybridge Celtic, Bamber Bridge, Waterford and St Pat’s.
Lowe told LansLive: “Ads does not need to sit around for six months and not play. He needs to continue the rich vein of form.
“We've had to give Adam the license to do that because we feel it will benefit the kid. It's about helping him go on and achieve his goals.
"We'll help him as much as we possibly can and put his name around. He's done fantastically well and I said that to him.
“Selfishly, I could keep him here and have him around, maybe making the squad or playing Central League games. But, what's the real point of that?
“If he can find himself a club, which his agent thinks he will, then it will benefit Adam.
“I said to Ads that he's only played one game for Preston North End and is now 20-odd years of age. Is that going to change?
“He felt that he hadn't had an opportunity under me and I said 'you haven't' - he went out on loan, other players have come in and taken their opportunities.
“It's more for Adam's benefit to find a football club where he can go and play.
“He was open and honest with that and pleased that we had given him that, because he said it was a weight off his back.”
Meanwhile, talks are ongoing between St Pat's and Shamrock Rovers over a potential deal for Barry Cotter after his loan spell with the Saints during the second-half of the 2022 season.
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