Exclusive:Portsmouth braced for Adrian Segečić transfer move as Birmingham City circle for star man
The very latest tonight on Adrian Segečić’s Pompey future, with big-spending Birmingham City keen on attacking ace.
John Mousinho is expecting late-window interest in Adrian Segečić with Birmingham City ready to pounce.
And the Pompey boss made it clear he expects to see a ‘significant’ return for one of his club’s prized assets, if the attacking ace is to move on before the close of the summer window.
Pompey boss on Segečić exit: ‘I’m half expecting there to be interest’
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The News understands the Championship big spenders are keen on Segečić, after his impressive emergence in the second tier.
Mousinho confirmed that has not reached the level of a formal bid for the 22-year-old, who finished as Pompey’s top scorer last term and has two goals in three games to his name this time around.
That is something the Blues are prepared for, however, in the event of a move by the club co-owned by billionaire chairman Tom Wagner.
When asked if there’s been a bid for Segečić, Mousinho told The News: ‘There not as far as I’ve heard and we haven’t had a bid at all.
‘There’s not concrete interest, but I’m half expecting there to be some interest between now and the back end of the window.
‘I’m surprised there hasn’t been more this summer, but that’s to our benefit because Segs has now scored two in three.
‘We’re prepared for it and we’re prepared in every position, because you never know what can happen in football.
‘We saw that in January with Langy (Callum Lang), so we have to be ready underneath in terms of that squad building.
‘I think it’s one of those things. Segs is 22 and scored 11 goals last season in 24 starts - and has now scored two in three out of position.
‘He’s done very well for a young lad, so I wouldn’t be surprised at all (if there’s a bid), because goals come at a premium. So there’s no doubt plenty of clubs would be interested.’
A Segečić departure would see Pompey make a huge profit on the player, after paying around £200,000 in training compensation to Sydney FC last year.
In a summer where the likes of Andre Brooks has moved to Norwich City (£10m), Ethan Galbraith to Stoke City (£10m) and Lewis Dobbin to Southampton (£9m), it’s clear to see Pompey would get a handsome return on their investment.
Mousinho feels Segečić leaving would fit the club’s model of developing players and reinvesting on the pitch.
He added: ‘We signed Segs for six figures and the potential return would be significant.
‘The balance to that is the club doesn’t need to sell players and are not under pressure to sell players.
‘Ultimately we need to compete, especially with the new regulations in place, so at times it can be useful to sell and reinvest.
‘It’s a good sign we have two or three players and players we brought in this summer, who we think can fit that bill. We can develop them into higher value players and hopefully that can benefit Portsmouth on the pitch and financially.
‘I haven’t got an exact steer on it (his valuation), but I have a good idea on it based on where I see other players going.
‘There’s been some players moving for good money this summer - and we rank Segs right up there.’