Portsmouth transfer bid 'submitted' for Wigan forward amid Derby County competition

The January transfer window rumour mill has chucked another name out for the Fratton faithful to digest - the second in a matter of hours.

With Pompey fans still absorbing information that the Blues are reportedly interested in former Birmingham City youngster Ronan Hale - as per Football Insider - the gossip column specialists believe they have unearthed another signing currently being worked on by sporting director Rich Hughes and head coach John Mousinho.

Indeed, they claim that Wigan forward Callum Lang is someone they are keen to recruit this month. And with the Latics 'in the midst of financial challenges' at the DW Stadium, Football Insider report that the League One strugglers are open to selling the former Liverpool youngster in the remaining weeks of the transfer window.

Pompey have apparently made the most of that knowledge and have reportedly 'submitted on offer' for a player who can operate across the front-line, including the No10 role that the Blues are currently struggling to fill sufficiently following injuries to Tino Anjorin and now Alex Robertson.

But the Fratton Park side aren't the only ones interested. Promotion rivals Derby County are also said to be keen to bolster their firepower ahead of an exciting climax to the League One season - and have indentified Lang as someone they would like at Pride Park. Indeed, according to Football Insider, they too have a bid on the table for the attacker who has 31 goals and 18 assists in 143 appearances for Wigan.

A sizeable fee would be expected if either Pompey or Derby were to lure Lang away from the DW Stadium, with the player under contract until 2025. The attacker has two goals and two assists from 23 league games this term as Wigan sit 18th in the table with one win in six games.

Lang was an 89th-minute substitute in the Latics' FA Cup third-round defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Monday night.