Stoke boss Michael O'Neil wants Portsmouth-target Harry Souttar to challenge for place at bet365 Stadium

Fratton Park boss Kenny Jackett has identified the Australian as the answer to his search for a new left-sided central defender.

Pompey have been targeting the former Fleetwood loanee since the start of the summer and want to lure him to the south coast ahead of their latest promotion bid from League One.

As reported by The News on Monday, though, the Blues have so far been unable to convince Stoke of the merits of such a move.

Meanwhile, their hopes have been dashed further following an interview Potters manager O’Neill did with Radio Stoke.

The Northern Irishman said he wanted to keep Souttar ‘in the building’ so he could ‘knock on the door of the first team’.

That rules out an immediate move for the defender who impressed for Fleetwood at League One level following two loans spells.

Yet O’Neill added he would assess the situation as the transfer deadline day (October 16) approached.

‘I’ve had this conversation with Harry direct. I knew him when he was a younger player in Scotland so I know his background,’ O’Neil told Radio Stoke.

‘I look closely at Harry’s career and he’s been at Stoke for three-and-a-half years but he’s actually only been in the club for 18 months because he’s spent two years on loan – first at Ross County and then 18 months at Fleetwood.

‘So I think Harry is at a point where loaning him back to League One doesn’t tell us anything.

‘He’s at a stage now where he has to push to get into our team and the best way to do that is to be in the building.

‘I don’t envisage that Harry going out on loan is something we would do at this point in time.

‘For me, he would be better served staying in the building, pushing to get into our team.

‘If that doesn’t happen then you look at the situation when the window opens again or you possibly leave it right up until the end of the window.

‘But Harry played last week against Leeds and played extremely well and that’s what we want to see: our own young players come through and become not only members of the squad but capable of starting games as well.

‘Continually sending them out on loan serves a purpose to a point but there comes a point when we need them then to be knocking on the door of our team.’

Souttar started Stoke’s recent 3-0 pre-season friendly win against Leeds United.

However, he was an unused substitute in the Potters’ most recent warm-up against against Newcastle on Saturday.

The defender also had a watching brief as failed to feature in Stoke’s Carabao Cup win against Blackpool, remaining on the bench.

Souttar joined the Championship club in August 2017 from Dundee United.