Exclusive:Luke Graham transfer race latest as Portsmouth battle Rangers and Championship rivals for £1.5m defender
Norwich City, Derby County and Stoke City are among some of the sides to show interest in the Dundee man - but Pompey are still in the hunt for Luke Graham, too.
Pompey remain firmly in the race for Luke Graham as the field narrows to land the defender.
The News understands the Blues are now one of four Championship clubs pursuing the £1.5m-rated Dundee ace.
Pompey firmly in hunt for £1.5m defender amid changing transfer picture
And Scottish giants Rangers are still keen to bring in the 22-year-old, who is certain to be on his way from Dens Park this summer.
A whopping 43 sides from across Europe were on the trail of Graham, with 10 outfits from the English second tier keen.
They included Derby County, Norwich City, Stoke City, Lincoln City, Charlton Athletic and Preston North End, while teams such as Schalke, Valencia, Sturm Graz and Red Bull Salzburg were also interested.
The pursuit of Graham is now set to crystallize, however, with Pompey making it clear they are still interested in the man they bid £1.5m for in January.
The picture over where the Scottish under-21 international is headed is expected to become clearer over the next week, but the Blues are still well placed to strike for the player.
Graham was back training with his current employers today, after receiving extra time off this summer following his senior Scotland call-up ahead of the World Cup.
Dundee play a warm-up fixture against Livingston this weekend, which the centre-back is not expected to feature in.
The SPL outfit then travel to Budapest for a pre-season training camp which includes three fixtures.
The reality is Dundee are unlikely to risk their prized asset in any of those outings, with any injury suffered potentially wrecking their payday and a move for Graham.
It’s believed £1.5m will likely be enough to seal the capture of the player if a sell-on clause is added, given he now has 12 months on his existing agreement.
From Pompey’s point of view, personal terms are not believed to be an issue as and when a bid is placed to land Graham.
That’s not been the case from any club at this stage, though that will change when it becomes clear where the former Falkirk loanee is headed.
A deal for Graham would leave Pompey facing some major defensive surgery before the close of the summer, with John Mousinho already having six centre-backs to call upon.
Regan Poole, Conor Shaughnessy, Hayden Matthews, Madiodio Dia, Ibane Bowat and Josh Knight make up those options.
Bowat will likely move on in the event of a lack of first-team football, while Josh Knight endured an injury-hit maiden campaign at Fratton Park.
Shaughnessy has also been battered by injuries over the past two seasons, with Matthews having his fitness issues as he adapts to English football.