Pompey rivals Preston North End also 'monitoring' former Fratton Park striker Michael Smith amid 'failed' £2m Callum Lang bid
Former Pompey striker Michael Smith on PNE’s radar after reported failed move for Blues forward Callum Lang
Pompey rivals Preston North End are reportedly looking at yet another player whom the Fratton faithful know well in order to bolster their firepower next season.
Just days after reports claimed they had failed in a £2m bid to lure firm favourite Callum Lang away from the south coast, the latest transfer gossip suggests former Blues striker Michael Smith is now also on their radar.
Indeed, the Sheffield Star claims Lilywhites boss Paul Heckingbottom has an interest in the 33-year-old, who also has admirers in the form of League One Blackpool and MK Dons, who remain a League Two side.
Smith, who had two spells at Pompey between February 2016 and August 2017, suddenly finds himself as a free agent after an agreement was reached last week to mutually terminate his contract at financially-stricken Sheffield Wednesday.
He leaves Hillsborough after a three-season spell that saw him bag 30 league goals for the Owls and eight last term - including a spectacular long-range effort in Wednesday’s 2-1 victory over Pompey at Fratton Park last October.
Smith, alongside Josh Windass, has left the Championship side following their failure to pay their players’ wages in time.
Pompey rivals keen to bolster goal return amid Callum Lang reports
Preston are on the lookout for attacking reinforcements following their uncomfortable brush with relegation last season.
A 2-2 draw with Bristol City on the final day of the campaign helped them avoid the drop to the third tier. And their lack of goals over the course of the season proved their downfall, with only three other Championship sides scoring fewer (48) over the course of the 46-game term.
Their need for additional attacking quality has been necessitated also by top-scorer Emil Riis’ decision to leave Deepdale at the end of last season on a free transfer and subsequently move to Bristol City.
According to a report from Football League World on Saturday, Lang - who scored 10 league goals for Pompey last season as they finished 16th - was considered someone who could add to PNE’s attacking ranks ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
Yet the same report said their £2m bid had been rejected by the Blues, with the former Wigan forward still having a year remaining on his Fratton Park contract. Pompey also have the option of a further season once Lang’s contract expires next summer.
It’s not clear if Smith’s reported emergence as a potential Preston transfer option is related to their supposed failed move for Lang.
Pompey’s response to PNE’s ‘failed’ Lang bid
When contracted by The News over the weekend Lang rumours, Blues chief executive Andy Cullen said: ‘There is going to be speculation about players coming in and players going out.
‘However, we are never going to comment on players because it doesn’t help us, regardless of whether it’s true or not.
‘As you start to build up a really talented pool of players, which we believe we are doing at the moment with a number of different individuals - with Callum obviously one of them - then we’re always going to get rumours, conjecture and so-called interest.
‘Callum is really enjoying his football for Pompey and our focus - and Callum’s focus - is on getting fit and available for selection for the start of the season at Oxford.
‘I am not going to comment on anything in terms of unsubstantiated links with him.’
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