Former Pompey midfielder in transfer tug-of-war with League One promotion rivals

Former Pompey loan midfielder George Byers is subject of a transfer tug-of-war between two of Pompey's League One promotion rivals.

According to our friends at Sheffield based The Star, an unnamed EFL club that is confirmed not to be Blackpool is said to have made an approach. Transfer journalist Darren Witcoop may have revealed the identity of the club in question, as he said on a post on X that both the Seasiders and Barnsley are 'keen' on the midfielder.

The Owls, who at the start of January were keen to keep the player, have now changed their stance and are now open to the idea of letting him depart Hillsborough. He has fallen down the pecking order under Danny Rohl and is out of contract in the summer and with a large turnover of players expected between now and Thursday's deadline, Byers future may lie elsewhere.

He has made 22 appearances in all competitions for Wednesday this term with 17 starts but has not featured for the club in a month. Byers played against Preston North End on December 29 but has since then been excluded from squads against Hull City, Southampton and Coventry City.

The best moments of his career came in League One as he played a decent part in Wednesday's promotion last season. He has 18-goal contributions in the third tier of English football compared to the seven he has mustered up in the Championship.

Byers had a loan spell at Fratton park in the second-half of the 2020/21 campaign having joined from Swansea City. He made 15 appearances for Pompey and registered one assist, having turned down offers from Championship clubs.

He struggled to make an impact at Pompey with only four of his 15 appearances being starts. The three-time Scotland under-17 international also played for the club in their EFL Trophy final defeat to Salford City at Wembley Stadium in March 2021.