Club respond as Portsmouth FC table midfielder transfer bid | OneFootball

Pompey are among the Championship teams to have taken an interest in Standard Liege midfielder Aiden O'Neill.

Portsmouth have had an offer for Standard Liege midfielder Aiden O'Neill rejected, according to an update on X from Will Unwin.

Pompey are hoping to build a strong squad ahead of the opening day of the 2024/25 campaign - and they have already made moves to try and achieve this mission.

With their former loanees Abu Kamara and Alex Robertson leaving, as well as the likes of Joe Rafferty and Sean Raggett, there are gaps for John Mousinho to fill in the coming weeks and some promising signings have been made.

Jordan Archer has arrived to provide more competition in the goalkeeping department - and Josh Murphy has also come in following an impressive end to his spell at Oxford United.

Jordan Williams, meanwhile, has arrived after the expiration of his contract at Barnsley and will be hoping to succeed at this level after being relegated with the Tykes back in 2022.

Despite this promising early business, with Sam Silvestra also arriving on loan, it's clear that there's still work to be done in a number of areas.

More depth at left-back could be required, even though Tom McIntyre will be able to operate in this area after recovering from his injury.

And it wouldn't be a surprise to see the midfield area addressed, with battles in the middle of the park likely to play a key part in determining where Pompey finish at the end of next term following their promotion from League One.

Pompey are keen on recruiting central midfielder O'Neill from Belgian club Standard Liege, according to Unwin.

The same journalist has reported that the south-coast side have had a bid rejected for the Australia international, which is a setback in their pursuit of the player.

However, Liege are open to selling the midfielder and that could provide an opportunity for Mousinho's side to launch a fresh bid for him.

But they aren't alone in this race, with O'Neill also thought to be attracting interest from other clubs in the Championship after managing to secure a respectable number of appearances under his belt last term.

Portsmouth could make a smart decision by recruiting Aiden O'Neill

With Robertson leaving Fratton Park following the end of his loan spell, Pompey need more quality in the middle of the park.

Recruiting O'Neill, who is already accustomed to life in England after his spells at various English clubs, could be a good decision.

Not only has he had experience in England, but he currently plays for one of the best sides in Belgium and his ability to adapt to life at different clubs could make him a good option to have on the south coast.

At 25 too, he still has plenty of time to improve and he could be tied down to a long-term contract because of it.