Alan Irvine has vowed to do everything he can to keep Sean St Ledger at Deepdale.
The Republic of Ireland midfielder has been the subject of a loan move to Championship rivals Middlesbrough but the Scot believes that St Ledger is a focal part of his Preston team.
The Lilywhites boss said: "He is our player and I hope that continues to be the case.
"We know that there is an interest from Middlesbrough and we know that that interest is quite strong, but while he is our player I am absolutely delighted and we will continue to play him.
"Sean St. Ledger has been fantastic for us and the last thing I want to do is lose a good player. He has come on in leaps and bounds. He is a lad who is desperate to learn and improve.
"The decision doesn't always come down to the manager. The manager never has the final say, unless it is a club who has plenty of money.
"Every player at this Club has his price, regardless of whether I want him to stay or whether I don't want him to stay.
"That is the same whether or not the chairman or the board want him to stay or not. It's just a fact of life. When the big boys are forced to sell, then it is obviously easier for us to lose our best players.
"There have been some very high profile moves over the summer of players, I am sure, the managers didn't want to lose. I've got to accept that that is just part of football."
Irvine also criticised the loan window which is open to Football League clubs after the transfer deadline has passed.
He added: "If we were a Premier League club I could sit back now and rest very easily, but we're not. Something that can work in our favour as a Championship club can work against us as well.
"There is this opportunity for clubs to come in and do emergency loan deals with a view to permanent deals. That then makes us a little bit vulnerable, but I don't want any phone calls!
"I know Sean is happy here. He gets on extremely well with the players.
"I have a fantastic relationship with him, possibly even closer than any of the other lads because he spends a lot of time coming in and talking to me about anything that goes wrong. He will look at things
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