Portsmouth braced for youngster's departure as contract saga nears the end amid Charlton, West Brom and Birmingham interest

Yet a three-year contract remains on the table to ensure they receive compensation from the midfielder’s destination club.

The Blues have long harboured doubts over the 22-year-old’s interest in pledging his future beyond the summer – now they are braced for a farewell.

The new deal offered in December is still unsigned, with little progress initiated by Mingi and his representatives.

The former Charlton man’s reticence can be understood, having never played a minute of first-team football under John Mousinho.

Despite returning from knee ligament damage sustained at the turn of the year, Mingi still failed to win a place in Pompey’s match-day squad.

Although hampered by several minor injury niggles, overall the youngster struggled to convince the Blues’ head coach he warranted selection.

As a consequence, it has seemed unlikely he would be willing to stay for another three years by signing a fresh contract.

Certainly Mingi’s representatives are confident there will be takers for a player who, before his January injury, had made excellent strides at Fratton Park.

The offer of a fresh deal was off the back of an eye-catching breakthrough campaign which saw him make his maiden Football League start.

Indeed, Mingi totalled 26 appearances and one goal during the first half of the campaign, impressing with his driving midfield runs and mobility around the pitch.

Inevitably that convinced Danny Cowley to lobby the board to tie him to Pompey long-term – an opinion echoed by chief executive Andy Cullen and sporting director Rich Hughes.

However, through a combination of injury and lack of first-team involvement since January, Mingi has instead preferred to explore his options.

Previously West Brom, Huddersfield and Birmingham were linked, although whether the Championship trio remain interested in a player who hasn’t featured since January 1 remains to be seen.

Similarly, Charlton have been admirers and could well take him back to The Valley to bolster their ambitions to win promotion from League One.

Mingi was on their books until turning down a deal in the summer of 2021, bringing him to Pompey’s attention, when he subsequently impressed in a trial.

The Blues previously turned down a bid from Wrexham in January 2022 for the midfielder, who started his career in West Ham’s Academy before switching to Charlton.

But, by offering a new deal, they have safeguarded their interests and will receive a fee from whichever club Mingi ends up at, courtesy of training compensation.

That is likely to be decided by a tribunal, with Hughes previously admitting the complicated calculation process makes it difficult to predict the size of any transfer figure they could receive.

Mingi, who joined in September 2021 after a legal threat was issued to the Blues by his representatives over his contract situation, has made 29 appearances and scored once.