Portsmouth rivals place staggering ‘£15m’ price tag on star striker as Blackburn battle Celtic for £5m talent

The clock is ticking down towards deadline day, with less than seven days to go until the transfer window slams shut.

Pompey have been busy during the summer, with John Mousinho recruiting seven new faces.

Adrian Segecic, John Swift, Mark Kosznovszky, Luke Le Roux, Florian Bianchini, Minhyeok Yang and Josh Knight have all made the move to the south coast as the Blues boss assembles his squad for the new campaign.

Work is far from done, however, with more arrivals expected before the September 1 deadline.

Indeed, reports have claimed Chesterfield’s Armando Dobra is a target at Fratton Park but face competition from several clubs across the EFL.

Elsewhere, there is plenty of gossip and speculation doing the rounds across the Championship as clubs look to wrap up their business.

Here are the latest transfer headlines involving Pompey’s rivals.

Lilywhites lose winger

Preston North End are said to have placed a staggering eight-figure price tag on Milutin Osmajic.

Interest in the striker is growing, with a host of Serie A clubs as well as Spanish outfit Deportivo La Coruna tracking his progress.

The Montenegro international has enjoyed an impressive start to the season, scoring in all three of Preston’s Championship contests to date.

This has led to plenty of speculation over his future ahead of the Lilywhites’ trip to Fratton Park this Saturday.

Our sister paper, the Lancashire Evening Post, have suggested Paul Heckingbottom’s side value Osmajic at £15m as they look to fend off any potential swoops.

The article claims Preston have placed such a high figure on the frontman given the window shuts in less than seven days.

But North End have yet to receive any bids for the 26-year-old, who arrived at Deepdale from Cadiz in 2023 for £2.1m.

During his two-year stay in Lancashire, Osmajic has netted 26 goals in 82 appearances in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Jeppe Okkels has also been tipped with a departure ahead of this Saturday’s trip to Pompey, with an unnamed Danish club reportedly holding talks with the winger.

Get the inside track on your club when you subscribe to Pompey Talk with Neil & Jordan - our premium Thursday newsletter

Blackburn battle Celtic

Blackburn Rovers are believed to be eyeing a move for Lorient striker Sambou Soumano, according to Alan Nixon.

The transfer guru has suggested Rovers have identified the 24-year-old as a potential option to lead Valerian Ismael’s side.

The report claims the French outfit value the forward at £5m, having netted 14 goals in Ligue 2 last season.

Scottish champions Celtic have also been tipped with a move for Soumano, who is entering the final 12 months at the Stade du Moustoir.

Pompey sit one point above the Ewood Park outfit after the opening three rounds of the Championship campaign.

Blades back for duo

Sheffield United are said to be closing in on the signing of former Southampton and Liverpool striker Danny Ings.

TalkSPORT have claimed the 33-year-old has a medical booked with the Blades after spending a period on trial following his West Ham release at the end of last term.

Ruben Selles is keen to add the experienced goalscorer to his ranks after a disappointing start to life at Bramall Lane. Sheffield United currently prop up the Championship and are yet to pick up their first point of the new campaign.

Ings has spent time with Bournemouth, Burnley, Southampton, Liverpool and West Ham during an impressive career, which has seen him net 72 Premier League goals.

Mousinho’s men will make the long midweek trip to the Steel City at the end of November.

Your next Pompey read: ‘He played like he was on their side’: Portsmouth faithful take aim at ex-Newcastle United man after Blues dig