Portsmouth transfer latest: Norwich closing in on in-demand £2.6m midfielder Pelle Mattsson linked with Fratton Park move
Norwich City reportedly close to signing Danish midfielder who was on Pompey’s transfer radar
Pompey target Pelle Mattsson is reportedly closing in on a move to Championship rivals Norwich City.
News emerging from Denmark claim the Canaries are making strong headway in their pursuit of the defensive midfielder, with a fresh bid for the 23-year-old matching Silkeborg IF’s valuation of the player.
According to Tipsbladet, an offer of 22.5m Danish Kroner - which equates to £2.6m - has been presented to the Superliga outfit. That has initiated another round of talks between both sides - after negotiations stalled following a £1.75m bid earlier in July - with a deal expected to finally go through.
If those discussions continue as expected, Mattsson is then likely to be unveiled as manager Liam Manning’s 10th signing of the transfer window, after two further new additions - Jeffrey Schupp and Papa Amadou Dialla - were unveiled on Thursday.
Portsmouth new competition would be fierce for Pelle Mattsson
Mattsson has been in high demand this summer, with his consistent performances for Silkeborg attracting interest - mostly from the Championship.
Among those many admirers were Pompey, who had identified the midfielder as someone who could improve their existing engine-room options following the departures of loanees Freddie Potts and Isaac Hayden at the end of last season.
Yet the Blues knew they were in a battle to land a player whose reputation has been growing in Denmark and whom Silkeborg were not prepared to lose unless their strict valuation of the player was met.
That remained at the £2.6m mark, with Mattsson still having 18 months of his existing contract still to run.
As a result, the Blues have been exploring alternatives, with a £1m move for Hungarian midfielder Mark Kosznovszky close.
Mark Kosznovszky close to answering Pompey’s midfield concerns
Kosznovszky’s arrival is seemingly close, after Pompey reportedly had bids of £500,000 and £800,000 turned down by MTK Budapest before an agreement was reached.
It’s understood the 23-year-old - who made 29 appearances for MTK last season - travelled to the UK on Tuesday for his Blues medical and ahead of any further paperwork to be sorted.
He stands to be Pompey’s third signing of the transfer window, following the earlier arrivals of Adrian Segecic and John Swift. He’ll also boost a midfield department that includes Marlon Pack, Swift, Andre Dozzell and Terry Devlin, with right-back Zak Swanson also utilised in the middle of the park during the Blues’ pre-season games to date.
Kosznovszky could go head-to-head with Mattsson when Pompey hotst Norwich at Fratton Park on Saturday, August 16 - a game that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports+.