Portsmouth, Stockport, Reading and Rotherham in Norwich City transfer race | OneFootball

The American's time at Carrow Road will officially come to an end this summer.

Portsmouth, Stockport County, Reading and Rotherham United are all eyeing a move for Norwich City centre-back Jonathan Tomkinson.

The 23-year-old American has struggled to make an impact on the Canaries first-team after taking the step up from their youth team to the senior side in the 2022/23 season.

Loan moves to then-League Two pair Stevenage and Bradford City respectively weren't overly fruitful, but his latest stint away from Carrow Road with Scottish outfit Ross County in the second half of last season has caught the eye of a number of English clubs.

Jonathan Tomkinson attracting EFL interest following Norwich release

According to The Athletic's Larry Henry Jr, Portsmouth, Stockport, Reading and Rotherham are all interested in signing the free agent this summer, with Pompey being the latest side to join the race.

Norwich have confirmed via their 2024/25 retained list that the central defender will leave the club following the expiration of his contract at the end of this month.

Tomkinson spent the latter half of the last campaign playing in the Scottish Premiership. He started for County in 11 of his 13 appearances for the club, keeping two clean sheets.

Portsmouth managed to avoid an immediate drop down to League One last season after they won the division in the prior term. John Mousinho's side struggled mightily with injuries right throughout the 2024/25 campaign, especially in defence, and so Tomkinson provides an option for them to look at to bolster their resources in this area of the pitch.

Stockport have lost a key central defender in Fraser Horsfall. He has joined third tier rivals Blackpool on a four-year deal, leaving the Hatters with a need to stock up in his position. They have also lost the services of Brad Hills - a former Norwich teammate of Tomkinson's - as he has returned to his parent club in Norfolk.

Reading and Rotherham conceded 57 and 59 goals respectively last season. The Royals, in particular, need to sign players of Tomkinson's ilk due to their losses in his position.

The pre-agreed departure of Tyler Bindon to Nottingham Forest, which brought the club just less than £2 million, and the potential departure of Amadou Mbengue, who has interest from a number of Championship clubs, should make the centre of defence a priority area for them to address this summer.

Strong performances at the level of these keen teams are not something that Tomkinson is used to putting out.

In fact, the American youth international has only made one Championship appearance for Norwich before his release, and has never played in League One.

His spell up in Scotland did show some encouraging signs, though, so it may be that the likes of Pompey, County, the Royals and the Millers see Tomkinson as more of a squad option; someone to call on in times of poor injury luck, or if those ahead of him are struggling.

He's also only 23 too, and even though more and more footballers are starting to reach the highest of heights at a younger age nowadays, that doesn't mean it is the case for everyone.