Portsmouth transfer latest: Blues monitoring Sydney FC star amid talk of collapsed Rapid Vienna move

Pompey have a history of raiding the A-League. Are they about to make their latest move Down Under with a move for Sydney FC ace Adrian Segecic?

Pompey have been monitoring the latest rising star to emerge from the Australian A-League.

With part two of the summer transfer window set to open on Monday, it’s understood the Blues have been keeping tabs on Adrian Segecic, who finished the 2024-25 season as the league’s joint-top scorer and Sydney FC’s player of the year.

The talented attacking midfielder, who can also operate across the front line, scored 13 goals in 24 appearances and registered two assists as The Sky Blues finished seventh in the table. The 20-year-old also notched five goals in the AFC Champions League 2 as he established himself as one of Australia’s most lethal marksmen.

That form earned Segecic a place in the ASEAN All-star team that beat Manchester United in Malaysia last month, with the Aussie under-23 international setting up the winner. It has also prompted speculation of a return to European football, with the player spending the 2022-24 season at Dutch side Dordrecht.

Austrian giants Rapid Vienna were reportedly close to signing the forward who is available on a free transfer as he closes in on the expiry date of his current Sydney deal.

Yet reports emerged on Friday that that deal had collapsed amid interest from the English Championship.

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Pompey return to pre-season training in nine days time as work begins in earnest for the start of their 2025-26 Championship season.

More than seven weeks will have passed since the players last laced up their boots and headed onto the pitch to take on Hull on the final day of last term.

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He’s a Pompey-trailed name who’s generated plenty of transfer interest at Fratton Park.

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They replace Isaac Hayden and Andre Dozzell as the head coach makes two changes to the side which drew 1-1 at Sheffield Wednesday last weekend.

That means Ben Killip and Harvey Blair keep their places in the side, having been granted rare starts at Hillsborough, with the pair impressing.

Pompey keeper Ben Killip. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
Pompey keeper Ben Killip. Picture: Jason Brown/ProSportsImages | Jason Brown/ProSportsImages
With Mousinho sticking to the same 20-man squad which was on duty at Hillsborough, that means there is again no room for Kusini Yengi, while Zak Swanson and Adil Aouchiche are injured.

Meanwhile, ex-Pompey favourite Abu Kamara starts for the Tigers.

Pompey: Killip, Devlin, Shaughnessy, Atkinson, Ogilvie, Potts, Pack, Blair, Lang, Murphy, Bishop.

Subs: Schmid, Ritchie, Poole, Bramall, Dozzell, Hayden, Gordon, Saydee, O’Mahony.

‘Why else’: Portsmouth faithful all say the same thing after Fratton favourite’s latest social media post.

Pompey fans have all been saying the same thing and jumping to conclusions after Callum Lang posted a picture of Fratton Park on social media.
The Blues take on Hull City on Saturday as the curtain comes down on a frenetic maiden campaign back in the Championship. John Mousinho’s men can breathe easy as they head into the final day having already sealed their survival.

However, pressure will be on the Tigers – who are currently in the bottom three – as they battle it out in a five-team fight to avoid relegation, with two points separating thems and Stoke City in 18th.

Although Pompey have already confirmed their spot in the 2025-26 Championship, the Blues boss has made it clear he wants to end the season on a high and cement a mid-table finish.

But attention from some supporters has been diverted by a random photo uploaded by Lang onto Instagram. The image showed Fratton Park basking in the spring sunshine, with the 26-year-old adding the words: ‘lovely gaff’.

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Pretty staightforward stuff, you’d say. But it has got some fans reading between the lines and believing the forward was at the stadium to pen a new deal.