Leeds United quoted in excess of £20m for 33-goal star while Hull City 'in talks' with European midfielder
The latest transfer headlines for Portsmouth’s upcoming Championship rivals.
As Portsmouth prepare for their return to the Championship, they have started their summer recruitment. The League One champions have bolstered their ranks with the likes of Jordan Archer and Josh Murphy, but what can they expect from their upcoming opponents?
We’ve rounded up some of the latest transfer headlines for Pompey’s 2024/24 rivals.
Leeds quoted £20m price tag for rival star
Leeds United are looking to hijack former Championship rivals Ipswich Town’s pursuit of Sammie Szmodics, who has been heavily linked with a move away from Blackburn Rovers this summer. The Whites are up against the newly promoted Tractor Boys in the race to sign the influential midfielder — it’s not going to be an easy task though.
According to Football Insider, Leeds must pay ‘upwards of £20 million’ in order to finalise a move for Szmodics amid their plans to snub Ipswich of their move. Blackburn are demanding ‘a high fee’ to sell such an important player to a direct rival ahead of the Championship season.
Daniel Farke’s side view Szmodics as a potential ‘statement signing’ for this summer, especially if they end up losing Crysencio Summerville. The Blackburn star is unsurprisingly in the spotlight this window, after contributing an astonishing 33 goals in all competitions last season.
Hull City ‘in talks’ with European midfielder
After making Ryan Giles’ stay permanent, Hull City have also signed full-back Cody Drameh on a three-year deal after he rejected the chance to extend his contract with Leeds United. The Tigers are now scouring the market for their next target and have set their sights on German midfielder Marvin Mehlem.
The 26-year-old is set to leave his club SV Darmstadt 98 after seven years, as confirmed by the club. Now, according to Transfermarkt, Mehlem is ‘in talks’ with Hull over a move to the Championship from the 2. Bundesliga.
Manager Tim Walter will already know of the versatile midfielder, having been a coach for the Karlsruher SC youth team while Mehlem was coming through the ranks. The 26-year-old is the ‘most valuable professional’ in his current squad, worth €2.5 million (£2.1m). Mehlem is out of contract in 2025 so Darmstadt will be looking to earn some cash on him while they still can.