Transfer gossip: Portsmouth in four-team battle for £2m-rated midfielder with 'bags of talent'


Pompey have once again been credited with having an interest in Reading midfielder Charlie Savage.
A transfer window rarely goes by without the Blues being linked with a move for the highly-regarded Wales international.
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Hide AdAnd this one appears to be no different, with Football Insider ‘exclusively’ revealing that Pompey are currently involved in a battle to land the 22-year-old son of former Wales and Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage.
According to the latest report, John Mousinho and sporting director Rich Hughes are in a four-way tussle for his signature, with Championship new-boys Birmingham and Wrexham, plus Blackburn Rovers, also plotting ways to make the Reading man part of their squad plans for next season.
His services won’t come cheap, though, with Reading reportedly valuing the player at £2m following the impact he’s made at the Select Car Leasing Stadium over the past two seasons.
Pompey target Charlie Savage’s impressive career at Reading
Savage - a product of the Manchester United youth season - has been with the Royals since the summer of 2023.
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Hide AdPompey were linked with the emerging talent back then alongside the likes of Cardiff, Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday. But it was Reading who won the race for his signature, with the midfielder signing a four-year deal with the League One outfit.
At the time of his signing, Reading's then head of football operations, Mark Bowen, said Savage arrived with ‘bags of talent’ and was clearly someone who was ‘intent on making an impact as a senior footballer’.
And he’s ultimately been proved right, with the youngster racking up 96 appearances for the Royals over the course of the past two seasons.
He’s also scored 12 goals in that period and registered 15 assists as he’s adapted to the demands of senior football with ease.
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Hide AdIndeed, his 45 league appearances for Noel Hunt’s side last season was bettered only by defender Tyler Blindon, while his nine assists was the second most recorded in the third tier in 2024-25.
Charlie Savage - a player who fits Pompey’s profile
Savage’s clear robustness and availability over the past two seasons will no doubt impress Pompey, whose 2024-25 season was often hamstrung by injuries to key personnel.
His goals and assists from midfield also make him a stand-out performer, with his seven strikes from the engine room last term bettering anything that Andre Dozzell (2) Freddie Potts (1), Isaac Hayden (0) and Marlon Pack (0) managed for the Blues.
Pompey are on the lookout for midfield reinforcements this summer following the returns of loanees Potts (West Ham) and Hayden (Newcastle United) to their respective parent clubs.
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Hide AdPack’s impact in midfield diminished as last season progressed, and is not guranteed to start there next term. Meanwhile, Abdoulaye Kamara made only five substitute appearances in the league as he struggled to adapt to English football following his move from Borussia Dortmund last summer.
The Blues are expected to make at least two signings in that department during the transfer window.
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