West Ham poised to make statement £25m Celtic signing ahead of Portsmouth showdown as Swansea City plot €8m Spanish swoop

There are just eight days to go until Pompey’s 2026-27 campaign gets underway with a trip to newly-relegated West Ham.

A Carabao Cup first round showdown against the Hammers awaits John Mousinho’s men, who will make their first ever visit to the London Stadium.

There is still plenty of business to be done in the meantime, with the Blues still looking to strengthen in a number of key areas.

Pompey remain quietly confident in their pursuit of Hull City winger Abu Kamara, who is also of interest to Championship rivals Charlton Athletic.

The News understands there is a strong desire from the player to return to Fratton Park, where he enjoyed the most-successful campaign in his career to date.

Meanwhile, transfer activity and spending continues to remain rife across the second-tier with the new campaign now firmly on the horizon.

Here’s the latest headlines involving Pompey’s rivals.

West Ham in Celtic talks ahead of Pompey contest

Nuno Espirito Santo is looking to bolster his West Ham squad ahead of their opener against Pompey on August 8.

Winger Keiber Lamadrid represents the Hammers’ sole arrival in the window so far, having exercised a permanent clause in his season-long loan agreement from Deportivo La Guaira.

Meanwhile, Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville have both departed the London Stadium following their relegation in £85m and £60m deals to Spurs and Al Hilal respectively.

Indeed, West Ham are now looking to reinvest those sales into the transfer kitty and have reportedly set their sights on Celtic midfielder Arne Engles.

A deal is rapidly gathering pace according to Sky Germany, who have claimed the four-cap Belgian international has already agreed to a move to east London.

Talks are now taking place between the Hoops and the Championship new boys, who are looking to strike a deal with the Scottish Premiership champions.

Engles is in-demand this summer, with Celtic already turning down a £25m bid from Nottingham Forest earlier in the window.

It’s expected a fee north of that figure will be required to secure the playmaker's services, with two years still to run on his current Celtic Park deal.

The 22-year-old has amassed 98 appearances in all competitions for Martin O’Neil’s men following his £11m switch from Augsburg in 2024.

West Ham will be hoping to complete the statement deal before their Carabao Cup showdown against Pompey next week, which is poised to be a sell out.

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Swansea City launch Spanish bid

Swansea City have tabled a formal bid to sign Valencia’s Andre Almeida, according to reports.

Spanish news outlet Marca has claimed the Swans are ready to place an offer for the attacking midfielder, who is believed to have been given the green light to depart the Estadio Mastella this summer.

The exact figure of the proposal has not yet been disclosed, although Los Murcielagos are looking to recoup the majority of their €8m spent to land the 26-year-old Guimaraes in 2024.

Although Valencia are keen to sell, the report does suggest there could be complications in the deal, with Almeida not interested in making the switch to south Wales at present.

That could halt any potential deal, even though Vitor Matos’ side are apparently readying a bid for his services.

The former Portugal youth international has scored four goals and collected 13 assists in 119 appearances for the Spanish outfit, where he still has three-years remaining on his current terms.

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