Transfer gossip: Portsmouth monitoring £13.1m Brazilian winger along with Sunderland and Norwich City
Pompey currently sit 20th in the Championship following Wednesday evening’s 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United.
Pompey have been credited with an interest in Brazilian winger Andre Luiz.
The January transfer window is on the horizon, with preparations no doubt underway behind the scenes at Fratton Park.
John Mousinho will be hoping to strengthen his squad, with the Blues currently sitting 20th in the Championship after a slow start to the campaign.
With the upcoming market less than six weeks away, gossip and speculation is already beginning to do the rounds involving Pompey.
Indeed, Portuguese news outlet, A Bola, have claimed the Blues are one of a number of English clubs monitoring Rio Ave forward Luiz.
It has been suggested that Mousinho’s men have been joined by Premier League duo Sunderland and Brentford, while Championship rivals Norwich City and Stoke City are also said to be interested.
The article claims the English quintet have ‘conducted polls’ over the 23-year-old, who is currently valued at 15 million euros (£13.1m) by the Primeria Liga side.
Rio Ave are said to be unwilling to allow Luiz depart in January, with more than three-and-a-half-years left on his terms in Vila De Conte.
The Brazilian talent has spent less than 12 months at the Estadio Dos Arcos after making the move from CD Estrela Amadora in January.
The versatile forward, who can operate on either the left or right wing, netted just one goal and registered one assist during the second half of the 2024-25 campaign with the Vilacondenses, who finished 11th in Portugal’s top flight.
But Luiz has started brightly this term and is already enjoying his best season in front of goal, with eight goal contributions (four goals and four assists) in 11 league outings to date as his stock ramps up.
Rio Ave currently sit 11th in the Primera Liga after a mixed start to the campaign and sit six points above the relegation zone at present.
Although a £13.1m price tag will no doubt blow Pompey out of the water, reports emerging in Portugal are claiming the Blues are one of five teams looking at the in-demand winger ahead of the January window.
Pompey’s current attacking options
Goals have been hard to come by for the Blues this term, with their troubles in front of goal well documented in the opening 17 games of the campaign.
Mousinho’s men have had a number of key injuries in the attacking department during the first four months of the season, with Josh Murphy, Callum Lang, Adrian Segecic, Harvey Blair and Franco Umeh all missing various points so far.
Murphy, Lang and Segecic have all returned from the sidelines in recent weeks, while Blair and Umeh are set to complete their much-anticipated comebacks in December.