Portsmouth striker Colby Bishop breaks silence on £3.5m Birmingham City move and heart surgery rumours

And the Pompey striker has told those circulating false rumours it was the League One side who discovered the potential risk to the striker, to ‘get a life’.

Bishop has broken his silence over speculation being peddled online he was going to the big-spending League One side, with a £3.5m deal lined up for the Magic Man.

According to the gossip, it was while finalising a move to St Andrews his heart issue was discovered as he underwent crucial surgery last August. Now Bishop has had his say on the talk, with the 28-year-old three months into his Fratton comeback after fearing he’d never play football again.

And the striker couldn’t have been more emphatic in his rebuttal an exit from the club he joined in 2022 was ever on the cards, after he made it clear he’s keen to sign a new deal and stay at Fratton Park for the long haul.

Bishop said: ‘Seriously, some of the things that come back and I hear about are mad.

‘I don’t have Twitter (X) but some of the things the lads come back into the changing rooms and tell me: “oh my god, do people actually believe that!”.

‘It’s actually frightening. That (talk of his heart scan being discovered at Birmingham) is seriously frightening.

‘I failed my heart scan at a Portakabin in Portsmouth - that’s it! I wasn’t at Birmingham, I wasn’t anywhere but people just love to make things up and unfortunately people read it and believe it.

‘I wasn’t going anywhere (last summer) and actually it wasn’t a nice thing when I found out - but I was in Portsmouth.’

‘Get a life’

Bishop hasn’t been the only Pompey player subjected to wayward rumours and Pompey conspiracy theories this season.

John Mousinho was forced to deny talk of a bust-up with Conor Shaughnessy, as he spent five months on the sidelines dealing with a calf injury, tittle-tattle branded ‘absolute nonsense’ by the League One champion.

Bishop has now found himself the subject of more wild speculation, with the £500,000 critical of those behind the false gossip.

He added: ‘People have actually had to come out and justify it (the Birmingham rumours).

‘Even the stuff with Conor Shaughnessy. Conor is one of the best people I’ve shared a changing room and the gaffer loves him.

‘They get on really well, but some of the stuff I see, I just think “wow, people are just so bored - just get a life”.

‘I think we just need to worry about stuff inside the camp and not worry about this stuff that comes up outside of it. There’s a good vibe in the changing room, we feel strong and I think we’re going to do okay.’