Transfer gossip: Huge Portsmouth favourite ‘number one target’ for Championship rivals
Josh Murphy netted seven goals and provided 14 assists in his maiden campaign at Fratton Park last term.
Josh Murphy has been linked with a shock switch to Championship rivals Leicester City, according to reports.
Football Insider have claimed the Foxes have identified the 30-year-old as their ‘number one’ transfer target before Monday’s deadline.
The article has suggested Marti Cifuentes’ men are ‘working’ on a deal to land the Pompey talent, who still has two years remaining on his current deal.
Contact has reportedly been made between the two clubs, with the newly-relegated side looking to add proven Championship quality to their attacking ranks.
Following their drop from the Premier League, former Fratton Park keeper Asmir Begovic remains the only incoming at the King Power Stadium.
The forward was a key figure in Pompey’s Championship survival, netting seven goals and providing 14 assists in 42 appearances in all competitions.
After an impressive maiden season at PO4, Murphy claimed a heap of end-of-season awards - including The News’s Player of the Year accolade.
The former Cardiff City talent has started the new campaign where he left off, setting up Colby Bishop for the equaliser against West Brom on Saturday.
Josh Murphy on future
Following his impressive 2024-25 campaign, the Fratton favourite made it clear he is happy on the south coast and believed he is playing some of his best football to date.
He told The News in May: ‘I am happy here, I am settled here, there’s a lot going on and the club is building to push for the Premier League - and that aligns with what I want to do.
‘I am happy here and I want to keep playing at Fratton Park because this place is pretty special. It has been great all season, who wouldn’t want to be playing here?
‘Being settled here brings the best out of me. I am settled here, the family love it down here, I have a manager who believes in me and backs me and the club is going in the right direction.
‘With my performances, this is the base I want to work off going into next season and I believe I can still get better, I believe I can get more goals and assists, so hopefully this is just the bench mark for the future.’