Portsmouth rivals plot move for League One defender as Wrexham and Birmingham City monitor £5m striker

There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Fratton faithful as Pompey return to Championship action this weekend.

And the Blues face a mouth-watering trip to St Mary’s to face bitter rivals Southampton in the first south-coast derby of the campaign on Sunday.

John Mousinho’s troops will be looking to pick up their first victory on enemy soil in 16 years and will be boosted by the potential injury returns of Keshi Anderson and Marko Milovanovic.

Meanwhile, Terry Devlin, Ebou Adams, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Iyad Mohamed, Eoin Kenny and Adrian Segecic will all be back in the head coach’s ranks after completing their international duty.

Although Pompey are just two months into the new campaign, planning has already begun for the January window as the Blues boss looks to strengthen his ranks.

That is the case across the division also, with transfer gossip and speculation rife across the Championship as clubs kick start their preparations for the winter market.

Here are the latest headlines involving Pompey’s second-tier rivals.

Championship duo eye League One talent

Sheffield United and Lincoln City are both plotting moves for Oxford United defender Ciaron Brown in January, according to reports.

It’s been a positive return to second-tier football for the Imps, who sit 12th in the standings, while the Blades occupy 18th - one point above Mousinho’s troops.

Nonetheless, both sides are eyeing defensive reinforcements in the new year and are believed to have the 27-year-old on their radar.

Transfer guru Alan Nixon has revealed the Championship pair are ‘eyeing’ Brown ahead of the January window, with the versatile operator out of contract at the end of the season.

The central defender, who can also slot in at left-back, has been a consistent performer for Aaron Ramsey in League One, featuring in all six of Oxford’s league matches this term.

But uncertainty over his Kassam Stadium future remains, with this current deal reportedly set to expire next summer and both Sheffield United and Lincoln said to be monitoring his situation if the U’s look to cash in.

Brown has registered more than 200 appearances during his five-year stay in Oxford and played a key role in their promotion to the Championship, alongside Pompey, in 2024.

News of Sheffield United’s interest in the Northern Ireland international comes a week before Chris Wilder’s side visit Fratton Park to face Mousinho’s men after Sunday’s south-coast derby.

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Wrexham and Birmingham monitor £5m striker

Big-spending Wrexham and Birmingham City are reportedly looking to battle to sign Norwegian striker Kristian Lein.

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who have suggested the Championship duo are both monitoring the in-form 25-year-old ahead of the January window.

The frontman, who plays in Norway’s top-flight for Djurgarden, has alerted a number of clubs across Europe after netting 16 goals in 25 appearances this term.

It is believed Premier League outfit Coventry City have also identified Lein as a potential target, alongside German duo Borussia Monchengladbach and SC Freiburg.

However, his signing would not come cheap for Birmingham or Wrexham, with Djurgarden said to value the attacker, who still has more than two years left on his deal, at £5.1m.

Pompey face Wrexham and Birmingham before the January window opens, with a trip to the Racecourse Ground in November before Chris Davies’ side visit Fratton Park on December 12.

Your next Pompey read: Portsmouth faithful all say the same thing as Blues make significant appointment