Luke Graham left out of Dundee squad as transfer talk builds around £1.5m Portsmouth target
Rangers, Norwich City, Derby County and Stoke City are among the clubs who have shown interest in the £1.5m-rated Pompey target.
Luke Graham was left out of Dundee’s squad today as Pompey continue their pursuit of the £1.5m defender.
The rising star was not part of the SPL outfit’s pre-season opener at Livingston, as his side fell to a 2-0 reverse.
Graham out of Dundee warm-up but boss expects him to feature in Hungary
But Dundee boss Steven Pressley has indicated Graham will be expected to feature, as the Dark Blues’ preparations for the new campaign continue in Hungary.
Pompey remain firmly in the hunt for the central defender, who they pushed hard to land in the January window - having a £1.5m bid for the 22-year-old rejected.
Dundee are set to cash in on the Scottish under-21 international, who joined the senior international group for a pre-World Cup training camp.
That meant Graham was afforded some extra time off before linking up with the Dundee squad this week.
There was little surprise at the player’s lack of involvement today, but perhaps the notion he is expected to be involved in the three scheduled games as Dundee head to Budapest tomorrow may raise an eyebrow or two.
That raises the possibility of Graham picking up an injury, which could potentially scupper any deal for the player.
Pressley told the The Courier in Dundee: 'We will have the likes of Luke Graham ready to play in Hungary. (Callum) Jones will be fine to play. Charlie Reilly should be fine to play.
'We’re still waiting to hear from Brad Halliday. And if we had another couple of players come in and join us, that would be great.
'So that’s our hope when we’re over there.
'And then that would at least give us a chance to really start to mould and shape the team for the League Cup.
‘In Hungary, we want to improve the fitness of the players and also start to bed in how we really want to play, because we want to be better with the ball.
The chase to land Graham has taken shape in recent days, with Pompey one of four Championship clubs who remain considerations for the player to join.
Scottish giants Rangers are still interested with things expected to move on next week, as the player decides where he will be playing next term.
A huge swathe of clubs have made moves for Graham this summer, including teams from Poland, Portugal and the likes of Schalke, Valencia, Red Bull Salzburg and Sturm Graz.
Stoke City, Norwich City and Derby County are among the 10 Championship sides who’ve shown interest in the player.
A fee of around £1.5m with a sell-on clause inserted in the deal is expected to be enough to secure Graham’s services this summer, with the player able to leave Dens Park as a free agent next summer.