Portsmouth transfer gossip: Blues are 'admirers' of former West Ham midfielder who is also on radar of Salford, Oxford and MK Dons

The Daily Telegraph’s Mike McGrath has claimed the Blues are ‘admirers’ of the 23-year-old Colchester player.

Yet they, reportedly, aren’t the only ones showing an interest in the former West Ham ace, with Oxford and MK Dons also keen on the ‘highly-rated’ youngster.

Meanwhile, it’s believed League Two Salford are leading the race for Ashley, who could command a fee north of £150,000 this summer.

The midfielder is apparently on clubs’ radars after making 35 appearances during his maiden season at the JobServe Community Stadium.

Twenty-two of those came as league starts, with the player slowly but surely making the transition to senior football. Indeed, Ashley was named in the starting line-up 12 times after mid-February as he helped the U’s secure a 20th place finish last season.

Pompey have already signed two midfielders following the official opening of the transfer window – Terry Devlin, from Glentoran, and former Forest Green Rovers player Stevenson.

However, additional reinforcements remain on the cards following the departures of Louis Thompson and Ryan Tunnicliffe and the impending exit of Jay Mingi.

In total, head coach John Mousinho has welcomed six new players to the club ahead of next Monday’s return to pre-season training.