BREAKING: Portsmouth hopeful of completing Blackpool winger capture in time for Lincoln unveiling

The News understands the Blues are closing in on clinching a loan deal for the Blackpool right winger.

Danny Cowley this afternoon admitted Pompey’s 10th capture of the summer is tantalisingly almost over the line.

However, he remains tight-lipped over the potential newcomer’s identity, despite the name of Dale put to him.

Nonetheless, the out-of-favour 23-year-old is heading to Fratton Park.

And Pompey are busily pushing through the deal before Friday’s 12pm deadline to ensure he is registered in time to face the Imps on Saturday.

When asked about Dale, Cowley today told The News: ‘We get linked with a lot of players, for us it’s always to talk more about our players and no other peoples’.

‘Owen Dale was bought by Blackpool last season for a significant sum of money, so I wouldn't anticipate him being available the following season.’

Although not commenting on the particular individual concerned, the Blues’ head coach did concede an unnamed winger is close to sealing a Pompey switch.

He added: ‘We’re making good progress in the wide areas, which is brilliant.

‘As I have alluded to before, we would like to bring in another player that can give us that one-v-one domination and ball-carrying quality which maybe the group is a little short of at the minute.

‘You never say never, you are never quite sure how long these negotiations are going to last for.

‘But we would like to think that we’ll be able to add to the group before Saturday.

‘We’ve identified someone we’d like to bring in. I know we are quite a way down the line, but I’m not sure how long the final pieces of jigsaw will take to put in place.

‘The deadline is Friday at 12pm, so it needs to be done pretty quickly between now and then if we want him available for Saturday.

‘Come Saturday we have five games in 14 days, which is a lot of football, and we are still trying to deal with the depth of the group.’

Dale originally arrived at Bloomfield Road from Crewe in a loan arrangement in September 2021.

This was turned into a permanent deal in January, joining for an undisclosed fee, yet his time in Lancashire hasn’t worked out.

Overall, Dale featured just 15 times and scored twice in his maiden Tangerines season as he struggled to break into the Championship side.

Before that switch, he had emerged through Crewe’s Academy to make 109 appearances and net 15 times.

He was a crowd favourite during his time at Gresty Road, crowned with four Player of the Season trophies in their 2019-20 promotion-winning campaign from League Two.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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