Portsmouth's bid to land Blackburn defender Charlie Mulgrew hits buffers

The Blues have been considering a move to land the veteran defender to bolster their defensive options.

But negotiations have failed to progress to the point where an agreement was likely to be reached to see the Scottish international arrive at Fratton Park.

Mulgrew has a year remaining on his existing contract at Ewood Park, with Rovers keen to reduce their wage bill amid the coronavirus crisis.

Friday was the realistic cut-off point for a permanent deal, with the wage cap’s implementation meaning all deals finalised from now have to fall within the £2.5m ceiling voted for.

There’s still the potential for a loan deal, however, with Pompey looking at temporary moves for Championship and Premier League options.

Mulgrew spent the first half of last season on loan at Wigan, where he made 15 appearances before returning to his parent club in January.

That meant he couldn’t move to any other club for the second half of the campaign after also appearing for Rovers - and rules not permitting players to turn out for a three clubs in a season.

The 34-year-old has a year left on his agreement with the club he joined from Celtic in 2016.

After their relegation to League One in 2017, Mulgrew helped his side to promotion where his renowned free-kick expertise saw him finish with a phenomenal 14 goals from the back line.

That return was then followed up with another 11 finishes in the second tier during the 2018-19 campaign.

Pompey have also been linked with a move for Rovers midfielder Richie Smallwood after he was released by Tony Mowbray, although the The News understands that’s not an option the club are actively pursuing.

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