Winger Mallik Wilks' move to Hull bodes well for Portsmouth's pursuit of Barnsley midfielder Cameron McGeehan

Pompey are ready to launch their move to make Cameron McGeehan’s move permanent.

Although his penalty miss at Oxford cost the Blues a place in a Wembley final, Kenny Jackett is ready to put their faith in the midfielder.

McGeehan’s been well regarded by the manager since arriving on loan from Barnsley in January.

The former Luton man scored two goals in 17 appearances at Fratton Park and has made an impressive impact on both the coaching staff and players.

And although it’s looking like the Tykes will be playing in the same division as Pompey next season, Gerhard Struber's surgery on his squad during his time at Oakwell underlines there's a strong chance McGeehan will again be on the south coast.

Since he succeeded Daniel Stendel as boss in November, Struber hasn't been afraid of offloading players who he feels don't fit his style.

Under the Austrian, McGeehan made just two appearances and was left out of eight match-day squads before joining the Blues.

That's despite being a key man when the Tykes were promoted to the Championship the previous campaign.

However, he wasn't the only player instrumental to that promotion side who was frozen out by Struber.

Dimitri Cavare featured just once after November 20 and was included in another match-day squad before he was bombed off.

Having been on Pompey's radar in the January transfer window, he'd eventually join Swiss side FC Sion a month later.

More recently, Kenny Dougall and Dani Pinillos have left the Tykes, with the latter not playing since September.

But the most interesting of them all to be axed from Struber’s plans is Mallik Wilks.

The winger was one of the most exciting players in the third tier during the 2018-19 season for Doncaster.

On loan from Leeds, Wilks scored 16 goals in 55 games as Donny fell to play-off semi-final defeat against Charlton.

His blistering form earned him a move to Barnsley, where he signed a four-year deal last summer.

However, Wilks has already found himself a new permanent home after finding his days numbered under Struber.

The wide man wasn’t named in a single squad by the ex-Red Bull Salzburg coach and was loaned to Hull City in January.

Wilks made his move to the Tigers permanent earlier this month, having said he had no long-term future at Oakwell.

That then brings us back to McGeehan and the likelihood of him returning to the south coast.

Barnsley are glaring at relegation with four Championship games remaining, sitting five points adrift of safety.

Therefore, you’d imagine there will be sections of Tykes fans who'd want to see McGeehan given another chance.

He has a year remaining on his contract and will again be playing in a division he's previously helped the club escape from.

However, judging by Struber's policy, he only wants to work with players he believes fit into his footballing philosophy.

McGeehan's already admitted he's not part of the Tykes' plans and would be interested in moving to Pompey permanently.

In his Twitter message after the play-off defeat, you got the impression he wasn't ruling out a return.

Likewise, Jackett's been sanguine about bringing the ex-Luton man to PO4 despite the difficult financial climate.

All in all, it just seems a case of the two clubs having to agree on a transfer fee.