Ex-Portsmouth target sparks interest as Fratton Park fired £7m Championship raid warning

With Pompey’s place in next year’s Championship firmly secure, the Blues will now be eyeing up who joins them and Derby County in gaining promotion to the second tier .

Bolton are 3-1 up in their play-off semi-final ahead of the second leg at home this evening, while Oxford United secured a 1-0 win first up, and will head to Peterborough for their second fixture tomorrow, Wednesday 8 May.

As we await the fates of the four play-off teams, John Mousinho and the Fratton Park board have begun preparations for the upcoming summer transfer window but they have been sent a fierce reminder from their future rivals of their spending power that currently exist in the Championship.

Here is the latest news from around Pompey’s future Championship rivals...

Ex-Pompey target sparks transfer interest

Plymouth Argyle are expecting to see increased transfer interest in the one-time Pompey target Morgan Whittaker, according to the Plymouth Herald. The Pilgrims star has scored 20 goals for his side this season and was named in the EFL Championship team of the season for his heroics in the 2023/24 campaign.

The 23-year-old has been a bright spark in what has been a disappointing campaign for the south coast side who narrowly avoided relegation after securing a 1-0 win over Hull City. He attracted a bid of £8.5 million from the Italian side Lazio towards the end of the January transfer window, which was ultimately rejected, but the director of football Neil Dewsnip believes their valuable asset will have attracted much more interest ahead of the summer.

Speaking of Whittaker, who still has three years left on his Pilgrims contract, Dewsnip said: “I think the first half of the season he was absolutely outstanding. He has contributed brilliantly in the second half but he probably hasn’t been quite as potent - not as many goals, not as many chances.

“He finished on 20 goals, that’s some contribution for any club in the Championship. Good for Morgan. Will there be interest in him? I’m sure there will be. Good players are at a premium in the Championship. Even in the Premier League, so we will have to wait and see what develops. I have no idea if there is anything on the table at this moment in time.”

Fratton Park fired spending warning

Stoke City are reportedly targeting a summer transfer move for the Queens Park Rangers defender Jake Clarke-Salter with the report from the Daily Telegraph’s John Percy indicating it could be worth seven-figures.

Clarke-Salter, who is also attracting Premier League interest, is said to be available for between £5-7 million - a figure which once again reminds the soon-to-be Championship side Pompey of their future rivals’ spending abilities. While their upcoming opponents are dishing out seven figure sums, the Blues’ most expensive figure in their current squad, Colby Bishop, was bought from Accrington Stanley in 2022 for £500,000.

The defender joined the Hoops in the summer of 2022, signing from Chelsea having spent several spells on loan to various clubs. He has since made 49 appearances across all competitions for the Rs, suffering from injury problems throughout his stay at Loftus Road.

However, his recent appearances have sparked transfer interest with the Potters reportedly keen to strengthen numerous areas of his squad in the upcoming window as Steven Schumacher’s side seek to push further up the Championship table in the 2024/25 campaign.