Doncaster, Gillingham, Northampton, Mansfield or Salford - five potential destinations for Portsmouth striker John Marquis in January

The soon-to-be out-of-contract striker is one of a number of players who could leave Fratton Park next month – if a deal can be struck.

And with an exit on the horizon, where could the forward viably go?

Here, we have a look and identify five possible destinations…

Doncaster Rovers

A move back to Donny may not be out of the realms of possibility.

The league’s current basement club have massively struggled for goals this term – despite having ex-Blues players Jordie Hiwula and Omar Bogle at their disposal – and will no doubt be on the lookout for some much-needed fire-power in January.

And if the Keepmoat side can’t escape the drop, they would see Marquis – who scored 67 times for Donny in 153 appearances over three seasons –

as someone who could spearhead a return to League One at the first attempt.

Gillingham

Another League One club who are familiar with Marquis’ ability are Gillingham.

He spent half a season on loan with the Kent club during the 2014-15 season – and performed admirably.

The 29-year-old bagged eight goals in 21 League Two appearances, but couldn’t guide them to promotion as they finished 12th.

With the club also sitting in the relegation zone and manager Steve Evans recently questioning the calibre of the players at his disposal, they may also want to bolster their frontline to boost their survival hopes.

Northampton

On the other hand, the Blues front-man could drop into League Two in a bid to return to the third tier next season.

Marquis has joined Northampton on three separate occasions during his career – and may be eyeing a fourth spell with the club second in League Two.

During his last spell with the Cobblers in 2016, he scored six goals in 15 appearances.

Marquis could be the answer to their goalscoring prayers, with the Sixfields club scoring the second least amount of goals across the league’s top-six teams.

What may be a potential sticking point for League Two clubs, however, is the type of money it may take to bring him down a division.

Mansfield

A League Two club who have continually spent big, however, are Mansfield as they continue their quest to reach the tier above.

And with the Stags on the cusp of the top-six, they may view the 29-year-old as the missing piece of their promotion jigsaw.

Remember, they were close to signing former Blues captain Tom Naylor last summer, before he did a U-turn and opted for a move to Wigan.

Salford City

Finally, Salford City could make a move after suffering a relatively underwhelming campaign so far.

The club has a history of signing players from higher divisions to fulfil their ambitions, including Adam Rooney from Aberdeen and Donald Love from Shrewsbury in recent years.

And there’s no reason why they could not tempt Marquis to a move to Manchester while only four points away from the play-offs.

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