Celtic exploring move for £12m former Portsmouth loanee as West Ham eye £3.5m Sunderland talent
The latest transfer headlines involving Pompey’s Championship rivals.
Attention now turns to Saturday’s trip to Lincoln City for Pompey, who are looking to put their opening-day defeat against QPR firmly behind them.
There won’t be, however, any further additions ahead of the visit to Sincil Bank, with John Mousinho confirming transfer activity will heat up next week.
The Blues are, of course, targeting at least three signings prior to the September 1 deadline as the head coach looks to assemble his Championship squad.
Liverpool left-back is reportedly on the radar of the football operations at Fratton Park, along with Burton Albion attacker Tyrese Shade, who is poised to depart the Pirelli Stadium this summer.
Exits are also anticipated before the window’s climax, with Hayden Matthews, Harvey Blair and Luke Le Roux among some players who could yet depart.
Elsewhere, gossip and speculation continues as Championship clubs zero in on targets with less than two weeks to go until the market slams shut.
Here are the latest transfer headlines involving Pompey’s second-tier rivals.
Celtic eye Southampton raid
Celtic are interested in former Pompey loanee Gavin Bazunu, according to reports.
The Scottish champions are said to have the Republic of Ireland international in their sights as Martin O’Neill continues his search for a new number one following Kasper Schmeichel’s retirement at the end of last term.
The Daily Echo’s Alfie House has claimed the Hoops are ‘exploring’ a move for the Southampton keeper, who is expected to leave before the window’s climax.
Bazunu, who made a £12m move from Manchester City in 2022, has fallen down Tonda Eckert’s pecking order at St Mary’s and is currently behind Daniel Peretz, Aaron Ramsdale and George Long in the goalkeeping ranks.
And Celtic are looking to capitalise on his situation with a possible swoop ahead of the September 1 deadline, but do face competition from Croatian outfit Dinamo Zagreb.
The 24-year-old is entering the final 12 months of his current terms with Pompey’s south-coast rivals, where he’s amassed 97 appearances across his four-year stay.
Bazunu, of course, made the £12m move to St Mary’s from Manchester City in June 2022 after a successful season-long loan stay with the Blues, where he kept 17 clean sheets in 46 outings for Danny Cowley’s side.
Championship duo interested in Sunderland man
West Ham and Burnley are both reportedly plotting late-window moves for Sunderland winger Jocelin Ta Bi.
French journalist Sebastien Dennis has stated the Championship duo are both interested in the highly-rated 21-year-old, who is expected to be available on loan this summer.
But Pompey’s second-tier rivals face top-flight competition for his signature, with Hull City keen as well as Ligue 1 outfits Nice, La Harve and Lorient.
After joining the Black Cats in a £3.5m switch from Israeli side Hapoel Petah Tikva in January, Ta Bi registered just two appearances in all competitions for the Black Cats during the second half of the campaign where he failed to collect a goal or an assist.
But Regis Le Bris side are open to allowing the Ivory Coast youth international a temporary exit before the close of the window as he continues his development into senior football.
Mousinho’s troops fell to a 3-1 defeat to West Ham in the Carabao Cup earlier this month, while the Blues will visit Turf Moor to face Burnley on October 31.