Portsmouth transfer latest: Championship rivals Stoke City emerge as favourites to land Sheffield Wednesday midfielder
Pompey remain admirers of Sheffield Wednesday’s Svante Ingelsson but another Championship club have emerged as favourites for his signature
Stoke City have emerged as favourites to land Pompey target Svante Ingelsson this summer.
That’s despite Sheffield Wednesday formally triggering the 12-month contract option they had on the midfielder, whose existing deal was coming to an end next month.
According to our sister title, The Star, the Owls also have ambitions of extending the Swede’s Hillsborough stay further, having exited administration following their takeover by American consortium Arise Capital Partners.
But with interest in the former Hansa Rostock player growing and Wednesday competing at League One level next season following their relegation from the Championship, they know they have a battle on their hands to keep hold of their recently-crowned player of the year.
And with the player effectively in the final year of his contract once again, the club’s new owners are understood to want to develop a more astute approach to buying and selling players.
Both Pompey and Millwall had bids rejected for the midfielder enforcer during the January transfer window, with the Blues keen to bolster their engine room ranks for the second half of the season.
The Fratton Park club retain an interest in Ingelsson, who made 40 Championship appearances for the Owls last season, 39 of which were starts for Henrik Pedersen’s side.
West Brom and Preston North End have also emerged as rivals for the 27-year-old’s signature, while there is also reported interest from abroad.
However, the former Udinese and Paderborn midfielder is apparently keen to remain in England, with The Star claiming that Stoke City - who lost 3-1 to Pompey at the bet365 stadium last month - are his most likely destination.
Pompey ‘s need for midfield reinforcements
Pompey know the middle of the park requires transfer attention in the months ahead, especially in the face of losing Andre Dozzell to MLS side DC United on a free transfer.
The Blues successfully negotiated a new one-year deal with skipper Marlon Pack after the 35-year-old made 35 appearances in all competitions this season.
He proved a key figure for John Mousinho as Pompey successfully navigated themselves away from relegation trouble. But the Blues will want to recruit a new front-line option in the summer to work in partnership with Ebou Adams.
Pompey also have Luke Le Roux and Mark Kosznovszky on their books, two players who arrived for around £1m each last summer.
South Africa international Le Roux has failed to have the expected impact following his capture from Swedish side IFK Varnamo.
Meanwhile, Kosznovszky spent most of his time on the side’s periphery before suffering a serious knee injury in December.
John Swift also remains an option, but he was an unused sub on five of the Blues’ last eight games at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
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