Portsmouth manager John Mousinho has dismissed claims he is targeting Blues midfielder Panutche Camara.
The 26-year-old joined Town last summer for £500,000 from Plymouth but endured a tough 2022/23 due to an adductor injury which required three operations, making only one start and three sub appearances, playing just a minute in the league, while scoring his first goal for the club at Bracknell in the FA Cup.
Over recent days social media sources have linked the Guinea-Bissau international with Pompey, but Mousinho has poured cold water on the link.
"Camara was excellent for Plymouth a couple of seasons ago,” he told the Portsmouth News.
"He didn’t feature last year for Ipswich through injury, so it’s probably very difficult for us to look at him with that injury record.
"He’s a very, very exciting player, no doubt about that. Yet in terms of bringing in players who are robust — and I’m not saying he isn’t — but considering what he went through last year, it’s tough to bring him in.
"When his name gets mentioned, I think you get quite excited about the prospect of bringing him in.
"It’s just tempered by the fact that it would just be a difficult one to do with his injury record.”
Camara played the second half for the Blues in Saturday’s first friendly of pre-season at Felixstowe & Walton and was among the scorers in the 6-0 win.
Elsewhere, former Blues striker Frank Nouble, who trained with the Blues' U21s last week
Ex-Blues defender Levi Andoh and one-time Town trialist Quevin Castro have both joined National League York City. Another former Town man, Zanda Siziba, signed last week having left the Glovers.What to read next:
Leif Davis says he is expecting another intense meeting with Leicester City this weekend, the Blues having drawn each of the last three meetings with the Foxes.
Town defender Leif Davis has admitted he feels he let his teammates down following his sending off against Arsenal last month.
Scottish giants Rangers are reportedly interested in out-of-contract Blues central defender Cameron Burgess.
Call Me Ted’s final poster of the season by Blues sponsor and minority shareholder Ed Sheeran has been unveiled.
Town boss Kieran McKenna says the motivation when the Blues travel to face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday is finishing above the Foxes in the Premier League table.
Blues midfielder Cameron Humphreys is gutted that his loan side Wycombe Wanderers were beaten 1-0 by Charlton Athletic in the League One play-off semi-final last night but says he will look back on the spell positively once the dust settled.
Town manager Kieran McKenna says Liam Delap fully deserves his nomination for the Premier League Young Player of the Year award and was pleased to that the Blues striker isn’t the only one he has coached on the shortlist.
Blues manager Kieran McKenna felt last week’s 1-0 defeat at home to Brentford was typical of many of Town’s matches this season.
Town boss Kieran McKenna is delighted to learn that George Burley, the previous Blues manager to take charge of the club in the Premier League, has been given the all-clear following his cancer treatment.
Town boss Kieran McKenna says it’s unlikely Kalvin Phillips will play for the Blues again this season with the on-loan Manchester City man still struggling with an achilles issue.