Rangers target Jahnoah Markelo was high up on Pompey’s wanted list in January

Former Pompey target Jahnoah Markelo could be on the move again.

A winger the Blues pursued during the January transfer window without success has reportedly held talks with Scottish Premiership giants Glasgow Rangers about a possible switch north of the border.

The potential move comes just six months after Coventry City saw off Pompey’s interest in the Dutch forward by securing a £4.3m deal for his services.

Markelo subsequently featured five times for Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues as they went on to win promotion to the Premier League as Championship title winners.

Yet all five outings came from the bench and saw the 23-year-old rack up just 44 minutes of football over the second half of the season at the CBS Arena.

Indeed, Markelo wasn’t even in the squad when Coventry beat Pompey 5-1 in April to be crowned league champions. Nor was he involved in the Sky Blues’ remaining games of their memorable 2025-26 campaign.

It’s therefore no surprise to see Lampard allow the former FC Zurich wideman to discuss a potential loan move away from the Premier League new boys, where he is under contract until 2029.

Sky Sports claim discussions have taken place with the player ahead of Rangers’ SPL opener against Dundee United on Friday night.

They also report that Markelo is among a number of options under consideration by the Ibrox side for their right-wing position.

Pompey’s interest in Markelo

Pompey’s interest in Markelo emerged during the January transfer window as John Mousinho looked to bolster his attacking options for the second half of the season.

Matt Ritchie’s departure in the summer of 2025 left a huge void in that area. And although numerous Blues players were tried out wide, including Adrian Segecic, Conor Chaplin, Florian Bianchini and Harvey Blair, none were able to make the position their own.

Pompey’s hopes of an upturn in fortunes in the role then turned to Keshi Anderson and Gustavo Caballero following Coventry’s January move for Markelo.

However, Anderson would go on to sit out 10 games following a hamstring injury in just his second outing for the club. Meanwhile, loanee Caballero would score just one goal in 12 appearances, before injury cut short his availability.

Pompey’s right-wing remains problematic

With just two-and-a-half-weeks before the 2026-27 season starts, Pompey are once again faced with a right-wing dilemma.

Anderson has picked up another injury setback (quad) which will keep him out for 8-12 weeks, while forgotten-man Franco Umeh is currently nursing a groin problem that will sideline him for four weeks.

Caballero has also returned to parent club Santos after Pompey declined to sign the Paraguay international for a set fee that was agreed when he made his temporary move to Fratton Park in January.

At present, Harvey Blair or Eoin Kenny are the favourites to start wide right when the Blues kick off their latest campaign against West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, August 1.

However, Blair has struggled for both fitness and form since moving to Fratton Park in the summer of 2024. On Saturday, Mousinho admitted former Dundalk youngster Kenny’s position was in the number 10 role.

Pompey, who signed young New Zealand forward Luke Brooke-Smith on Tuesday, are actively trying to lure former Fratton favourite Abu Kamara back to the south coast. That’s a move that is proving complicated, though.

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