Done deal: Portsmouth seal £1m move for Hungarian midfielder Mark Kosznovszky amid Swansea and Sheffield United interest
Pompey have completed their third signing of the transfer window after unveiling Hungarian midfielder Mark Kosznovszky
Hungarian midfielder Mark Kosznovszky has completed his much-anticipated move to Pompey.
The 23-year-old has swapped MTK Budapest for the Blues for an undisclosed fee - although reports in his home country claim a fee in the region of £1m, plus future add-ons, was agreed between both clubs.
Kosznovszky has signed a three-year deal with the Blues - an agreement that will see him contract to the club until 2028.
He’s head coach John Mousinho’s third signing of the summer transfer window, after deals for Adrian Segecic and John Swift were completed earlier in the close season.
It’s unclear if the defensive-minded player will be under consideration for the Blues’ latest pre-season friendly against Reading at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Saturday. But with Pompey’s Championship opener against Oxford United just two weeks away, you suspect the Fratton Park club will want to integrate the former Parma player into the group as soon as possible.
How Mark Kosznovszky ended up at Portsmouth
News of Pompey’s interest in Kosznovszky emerged at the end of June - reports that were initially downplayed.
However, the Blues’ stance on a player who featured 29 times for MTK last season and scored three goals soon changed, with reports in Hungary claiming bids of £500,000 and £800,000 were declined by the Hidegkuti Nándor Stadion before an agreement was finally reached last week.
It’s understood Kosznovszky travelled to the UK on Tuesday for a London medical with the Blues, before all the necessary paperwork was completed,
His arrival will come as a huge relief for Pompey, who lost both loanees Freddie Potts and Isaac Hayden at the end of last season.
Until Swift’s arrival last week, Mousinho’s midfield options consisted of Marlon Pack, Terry Devlin and full-back Zak Swanson, who has been asked to play in the Blues’ engine room in pre-season.
Aboulaye Kamara has been told he’s free to leave Fratton Park after less than a year with the club.
Pompey answer Mark Kosznovszky’s wish to move abroad again
Kosznovszky makes the move to Pompey after spending the past four seasons operating in NB1 and NB2 - the top two tiers of Hungarian football.
Prior to that, the midfielder spent two seasons with Italian side Parma, whom he made one senior appearance.
Despite proving a huge success at MTK Budapest, Kosznovszky was keen to test himself abroad again.
Speaking to MTK Budapest’s in-house media in April, he said: ‘If you play well in the NB1, you can get out of the NB1. My goal is to play in a bigger league, in front of as many people as possible, in a bigger club.’
He added: ‘I improved a lot in the two years (at Parma). I learned what the mentality is like there for football.
‘Then I came back as a better player, but I still felt that I couldn't play at the top level, so I had to practice more, but it was positive, because I was able to learn a different mentality.
‘I got a couple of matches in the NB2 (second tier) after I got home. I felt that I still needed a couple of matches to pick up the rhythm, so I joined the NB2.
‘I was able to play there, and I think the game went well in both seasons. They helped me to be where I am now, and to be able to play stably.’
MTK Budapest have already lined up Copenhagen midfielder Honor Nemeth as Kosznovszky’s replacement.