League One latest: Portsmouth rivals set to land £700,000 Championship striker as Sunderland face being plundered by Premier League outfit for top talent - plus Covid news

Lincoln set for success in Morgan chase

Lincoln are set to enjoy a successful conclusion to their protracted pursuit of Swansea striker Morgan Whittaker.

The Imps are said to be close to landing the 20-year-old on loan in January, according to multiple reports.

Michael Appleton was keen to bring in Whittaker before the close of the summer window, but couldn’t get a deal over the line.

The 20-year-old, who joined from Derby County last summer for £700,000, has had to be content with just three Carabao Cup starts this term.

He smashed in a hat-trick in one of those games as Plymouth were thumped 4-1.

Clarets looking for Neil deal

Sunderland are facing a battle to keep highly-touted midfielder Dan Neil, according to reports.

Neil is said to be a January target of Premier League Burnley after enjoying a breakthrough season at the Stadium of Light.

The 20-year-old has earned rave reviews, making 28 appearances to date this term.

Now the Clarets are said to be ready to test the League One heavy-hitters’ resolve with a £3m bid, according to The Sun.

Sunderland are in a strong position to maximise Neil’s value if they decide to sell, after he signed a new four-year deal in October.

When signing the agreement, he said: ‘Everyone knows that I love this football club and I love playing for it.

‘It’s a dream come true to be playing in the first team and I’m loving every minute of it, but I want more and I want to be playing in the higher divisions for Sunderland.’

Gills’ shutdown

Gillingham have been forced to shut down their stadium amid a Covid outbreak.

The move was taken after a swathe of positive tests were returned among staff on Thursday,

The Gills’ Boxing Day clash with Crewe was called off, with a number of players in the group who have coronavirus.

A statement on the club’s website said: ‘Given a number of positive COVID tests on Thursday morning amongst staff members, the chairman decided that, in the interests of safety of all personnel, the stadium should be closed immediately and staff asked to return to their homes.

‘Saturday's home game against Crewe has been postponed due to players testing positive for COVID-19.

‘Manager Steve Evans has provided an update to supporters via iFollow.

‘The club's offices will be closed at the weekend, with phone lines also down during this period.’

Designed with Pompey fans in mind

Get unlimited access to all The News’ sports coverage without the need for a full subscription. Play-by-plays of every match, in-depth analysis, live blogs and exclusive interviews starting from just £2 per month; that’s just 50p per week - click HERE to subscribe.