Transfer gossip: Portsmouth in race with Rangers for outgoing £18m West Brom attacker
Pompey are reportedly eyeing a move for free agent Grady Diangana as the attacker leaves West Brom.
The Blues are said to be weighing up the 27-year-old, as they push on with their recruitment business this summer.
£18m attacker of interest to Pompey, according to report
If Pompey are to make a bid to bring in Diangana they will need to fend off interest from Scottish giants Rangers, according to the report from SportsBoom.
Former Southampton boss Russell Martin is preparing for his first season north of the border and is said to be keen on Diangana.
The former West Ham man is leaving the Hawthorns this summer after five years, after signing for a reported record £18m in 2020.
That move was said to be made up of a whopping initial £12m payment, with £6m in add-ons as Diangana was handed a five-year deal on a reported £20,000 a week.
The DR Congo international went on to make 162 West Brom appearances returning 18 goals, with nine outings coming in other competitions.
Two of the four goals he scored last term came in the Baggies’ 5-1 thrashing of Pompey in January, as Diangana gave the Blues defence a tough afternoon.
Now the versatile attacker is on the lookout for his next home this summer, with Premier League duo Leeds and Wolves both also previously linked with the player.
Pompey clearly need to bolster their attacking options in the weeks ahead, with boss John Mousinho stating new forward options are a priority this summer
Aussie Adrian Segecic has been recruited in that area of the pitch from Sydney FC, though the Blues have also lost a number of options in attacking areas.
The likes of Christian Saydee and Kusini Yengi have moved on, with loanees Kaide Gordon and Adil Aouchiche returned to their parent clubs.
Pompey attacking transfer priority is clear
Pompey have been linked with a string of forward-thinking players this summer, with eyes on Crystal Palace’s emerging Hindolo Mustapha.
Gambian Abdoulie Manner was another option being looked at with talk of a move for Sheffield Wednesday’s Jamal Lowe wide of the mark. Pompey have also been linked with Italian Patrick Nuamah.
Speaking of the need for attacking reinforcements, Mousinho told The News on Saturday: ‘If you look across the front line we’ve lost Kusini (Yengi), we’ve lost Christian (Saydee), we’ve lost Adil (Aouchiche) and Kaide Gordon who’s gone back. Harvey (Blair) is injured at the moment, too.
‘There’s been a lot of workload on Murph (Josh Murphy), who we relied on heavily last season and we relied heavily on Langy (Callum Lang) until he got injured.
‘We saw Colby (Bishop) come into the side and make a huge difference, but Mark O’Mahony has gone back as well. Then there was Elias (Sorensen) who we lost in January as well, so there’s clearly a lot of work to do there.’
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