Portsmouth move to head off rival interest and keep highly-regarded starlet at Fratton Park

Pompey are in talks over keeping highly-regarded Toby Steward at Fratton Park.

The 19-year-old has enjoyed a fine season-long loan at promotion-chasing Gosport, earning rave reviews.

The move to the Southern League Premier South club was designed to provide crucial development for a goalkeeper the Blues have high hopes for.

Indeed, Steward represents one of the few home-grown products to have emerged from their Academy in recent years possessing a genuine first-team future.

With his two-year contract expiring at the season’s end, negotiations over a fresh deal opened a fortnight ago.

Certainly Pompey have no intention of waiting until the summer to secure the former Henry Cort Community College pupil - unlike the vast majority of their out-of-contract players.

There remains interest in the youngster, who has in the past attracted the attention of the likes of Sheffield United among others.

Steward, who has yet to make his first-team debut, enjoyed a successful loan spell at the Rocks last season and also featured for Salisbury.

Yet this term, under the eye of joint-head coaches Pat Suraci and Joe Lea, he has flourished in regular football with Gosport and been a key performer for the third-placed side.

With 40 appearances and 13 clean sheets, time away from Fratton Park has been extremely beneficial to the teenager's progress.

In December, Steward was included in an England goalkeeping development squad for a three-day training camp at St George’s Park.

Rubbing shoulders with Premier League and Championship young talent, it represented his third squad call-up since the age of 16.

Will Norris is Pompey’s current number one and contracted until the summer of 2026, having signed a three-year deal in June 2023 following his arrival from Burnley.

However, the deals of Ryan Schofield and Matt Macey expire at the season’s end, while Josh Oluwayemi left by mutual agreement in January and is now at Finnish club FC Lahti.

Steward has been around Pompey’s first-team squad since September 2021 and was involved in last two pre-season tours abroad, featuring in friendlies.