TWTD understands that Town’s joint bid is for Portsmouth duo Jason Pearce and Joel Ward (left). Blues boss Paul Jewell revealed that he had made offers for three players, two at the same club, after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Blackpool.
Right-back or midfielder Ward, 22, came through the youth system at hometown club Pompey, spending the 2008/09 season out on loan at Bournemouth.
Standing 6ft 2in tall, Ward made his Portsmouth first team debut the following Premier League season and has now made 57 starts and 18 sub appearances for Pompey, scoring five goals. He signed a contract until June 2013 a year ago.
Hillingdon-born Pearce also began his career with Pompey’s youth set-up but after spells on loan at Bognor Regis Town and Woking joined Bournemouth on a permanent basis in August 2007.
The 6ft 1½in tall centre-half established himself as a key member of the Bournemouth side as they progressed from League Two strugglers to League One play-off semi-finalists. In January 2010 he was named the Cherries’ first team captain.
Last summer, after a failed bid from Peterborough and reported interest from the Blues amongst others, Pearce returned to Pompey for a fee of £300,000 rising to £600,000 after milestone clauses are met, signing a three-year deal. This season the 24-year-old has made 24 starts and has scored one goal.
Portsmouth are currently in the midst of yet another change of ownership with parent company Convers Sports Initiatives having gone into administration in November. Despite an already depleted squad, Pompey could be forced to sell members of their playing staff to raise funds.
Pearce The identity of the third player, a teenager, according to the quotes from Jewell released earlier today, remains a mystery. Players matching that profile linked in recent months include Preston striker Jamie Proctor, Southend midfielder Kane Ferdinand and Leyton Orient winger George Porter. Town are reported to be expecting a response from Portsmouth in the next 48 hours Photos: Action Images
What to read next:
Highlights of Town’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Portman Road.
Town defender Leif Davis says the Blues should have done enough to claim all three points in spite of late refereeing controversy during the 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Portman Road.
Leicester City manager Gary Rowett felt referee John Busby may have been influenced by earlier penalty claims when he failed to award the Blues an injury time spot-kick after Cedric Kipre was bundled over by Hamza Choudhury.
Town boss Kieran McKenna was in no doubt that his side should have been awarded a last-gasp penalty in their 1-1 draw with Leicester City at Portman Road, dismissing referee John Busby’s explanation that he didn’t see Hamza Choudhury’s foul on Cedric Kipre as “not good enough”.
Town were denied a penalty in the dying seconds as Leicester City held on to claim a 1-1 draw with the Blues at Portman Road. Patson Daka gave the visitors the lead in the 39th minute with Town having been under-par in the first half, before Sindre Walle Egeli levelled on 76 as the Blues dominated the second and ended the game furious that referee John Busby had failed to award a penalty in the final moments when Cedric Kipre was felled by Hamza Choudhury.
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Patson Daka’s 39th-minute goal has given Leicester City a 1-0 half-time lead over the Blues at Portman Road.
Town have made five changes for this afternoon’s home game against Leicester City, switching back to the team which beat Swansea City 3-0 last weekend.
Join us in the chatroom to discuss the game as it unfolds with hundreds of other Town fans.
Have you predicted the Leicester score yet? Eighty-six per cent of TWTD members are forecasting a Town win today, 12 per cent a draw and two per cent an away victory.