Exclusive:Portsmouth push to complete landmark £2.1m deal ahead of Cardiff City and Millwall
A landmark deal is in the offing for Pompey, as they bid to complete a £2.1m deal for the Estonia international ahead of Cardiff City and Millwall.
Pompey are pushing to seal the capture of Rocco Shein.
The News understands the Blues are today ploughing forward in their efforts to land the Estonia international as they close in on an eye-catching £2.1m deal.
Pompey to seal landmark £2.1m deal for Estonia international
Shein is locked in talks with the Blues, as they aim to beat Championship rivals Cardiff City and Millwall to his capture.
Norwegian reports are aligned with The News’ information, in Pompey moving towards landing the 22-year-old.
Sporting director, Rich Hughes, was absent from the Blues training ground today, with the players returning for the first day of pre-season training.
A deal for Shein is a sign of transfer intent for the club this summer, as they up their level of spending.
The fee is a significant profit for Norwegian side Fredrikstad FK, who signed the midfielder from Dutch outfit Dordrecht for £862,000 at the start of last year.
It also represents a landmark deal for Pompey, with the fee representing the club’s biggest outlay since they were in the Premier League.
It usurps the biggest transfer of the Eisner era, which was the £1.25m paid for Australian defender Hayden Matthews in January 2025.
And the fee exceeds the £1.5m paid to Italian side Bari for Erik Huseklepp in 2011, meaning the signings of Mike Williamson (£3m) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (£4m) at the climax of the 2009 summer window is the last time Pompey paid more for a player.
Completing Shein’s capture represents a statement of intent from the club’s owners, in a period where progressing the level of spending has been a big talking point.
Boss John Mousinho spoke about the need to spend ‘significant figures’, if Pompey were to have ambitions of setting their sights higher for a third season in the Championship.
Mousinho referenced the need to move towards landing players in the ‘£2m-£5m category’, in the event of that being the hope for the club moving forward.
The Shein deal represents just that, while a move for Serb striker Marko Milovanović would represent a significant incursion into that area.
The UD Almeria man is of interest to Pompey this summer, after impressing on loan in Portugal with top-flight side Alverca last season.