The possible transfer targets Portsmouth will have been checking out as scouting mission details are revealed

With 10 senior first-team players nearing the end of their contracts, the club’s five loanees set to depart and 9-10 incomings on the agenda, a busy transfer window awaits head coach John Mousinho and sporting director Richard Hughes.

Already we’ve seen the likes of Lee Bonis, Gavin Whyte and Tommy Leigh linked with potential moves to Fratton Park. Meanwhile, heading the other way could be Colby Bishop, who is once again being associated with a move to newly-promoted Ipswich.

It’s early days, of course, but has Wycombe boss Matt Bloomfield inadvertently provided an indication where Pompey are currently conducting their search for new recruits?

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game at Fratton Park and his reunion with former Chairboys team-mate Mousinho, the recently-appointed Wanderers boss admitted he’s bumped into the Blues head coach on a number of occasions recently.

He told bucksfreepress.co.uk: ‘John has gone on a brilliant journey since we played together all those years ago.

‘It’s funny because we’ve seen each other several times recently. I met him watching Spurs U21s vs Man City U21s at Stevenage, at Oxford vs Cheltenham last week, along with Burton vs Cambridge on Tuesday night. He is putting in the hard yards in like myself, and he is someone that I think highly of.’

All three games have little relevance to Pompey in terms of their ongoing 2022-23 League One commitments, which come to and end against Wycombe on Sunday.

So it’s safe to assume Mousinho was potentially casting his eye on players he thinks might make the Blues serious promotion contenders next term. But who might have been of interest?

Pompey’s intention to shop around Premier League academies is well documented, so the head coach’s presence at Man City’s recent trip to Spurs in Premier League 2 will come as no surprise.

There, Mousinho would have seen highly-rated duo Carlos Borges (winger) and Shea Charles (midfielder) score for the visitors in their 2-1 win. Meanwhile, the performances of Kian Breckin (midfielder) and Alex Robertson (also midfield) might have caught the eye, especially with both nearing the end of their City contracts.

The Spurs Academy is a hot-bed of talent the Blues are familiar with, having signed Josh Oluwayemi and Dane Scarlett (on loan) last summer.

That conveyor-belt of talent continues to roll, and with the likes of midfielder Nile John out of contract and forward Jamie Donley highly-rated, there’s the potential of further raids down the line.

Oxford’s 4-0 win over Cheltenham at the Kassam Stadium on April 25 will have been more familiar territory for Mousinho. It’s been suggested the the former U’s man isn’t allowed to lure any of his ex-Oxford team-mates to Fratton Park. But with the likes of former Pompey target Kyle Joseph on loan and striker Matty Taylor out of contact, there’s nothing stopping Mousinho making approaches for either duo.

Cheltenham’s Alfie May was videod with some Pompey fans at the weekend and is a forward who is constantly being linked with a move away from the Robins. This summer promises further speculation on his future, and with just one year remaining on his Whaddon Road contract, will this be the year that sees Cheltenham cash in on their star man.

Centre-back Caleb Taylor and goalkeeper Luke Southwood – two players on loan at Cheltenham this season – would also bolster the Blues.

Pompey are no strangers to being linked with Cambridge players, with Shilo Tracey, Harvey Knibbs and Sam Smith all the subject of Fratton Park rumours over the past 12 months. All three are out of contract at the end of the season. Meanwhile Jack Lankester’s progress is something to keep an eye on.

As for Burton – 1-0 winners on Mousinho’s vist – out-of-contract centre-back Adedeji Oshilaja has had an impressive season, as has fellow defender Sam Hughes. Charlie Kirk and Dale Taylor could be forward options worth keeping an eye on as well.