The keeper was signed on a free from Fleetwood by Simon Grayson at the time but his career at Deepdale has been turbulent to say the least. There was a period when he appeared to be cemented as the number one whilst also being called up to the Welsh squad.
Many liked his style of acting like a sweeper but his mistakes were highlighted. In the season before last he made several key errors which cost North End critical points in the play off chase.
Neil has never been fully satisfied with the keeping situation and last season he again switched between Maxwell and Rudd. It has never been officially stated as to what happened but it was clear that Maxwell was no longer wanted at Deepdale.
A loan move was arranged in January to Charlton whilst Preston brought in Ripley during the same transfer window. Maxwell spent the majority of his time in London on the bench and will now head north fo the border.
It is unlikely that Maxwell will return as his contract is up at the end of the season so Preston will allow the keeper to leave on a free transfer as they look to solve their own keeping problems.