Exclusive: Portsmouth in advanced talks to seal Luton Town transfer swoop | OneFootball

Millenic Alli looks likely to be heading to Fratton Park, despite falling out of favour at Kenilworth Road

At the halfway point of the 2024-25 Championship season, Portsmouth are in a battle for survival, having comfortably stayed up last year in their first campaign back at the level in 12 years.

It was a big achievement for John Mousinho and his squad, who made Fratton Park somewhat of a fortress in their bid to remain in the second tier, and when they did just that, their aim was to build on it in 2025.

Things haven’t quite panned out that way though, with Pompey currently languishing just above the drop zone on 25 points - one ahead of Norwich City.

New signings will be vital for the rest of the January transfer window to inject some new life into Mousinho’s squad. He has seen Tottenham winger Yang Min-hyeok recalled and sent to league leaders Coventry City, and there’s somewhat of an injury crisis at the club, with Callum Lang and Josh Murphy sidelined, as well as Mark Kosznovszky being lost for the rest of the season too.

Portsmouth in talks to sign Luton Town forward Millenic Alli

Football League World though understands that Portsmouth are making moves to bolster their options in the final third of the pitch, and they are in advanced talks to sign Luton Town attacker Millenic Alli on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

The 25-year-old - who can play as a winger, central striker and also as a wing-back - only signed for the Hatters in January 2025, joining from Exeter City in a seven-figure deal after scoring nine League One goals in the first half of the season, at a time where Matt Bloomfield needed something different for his new club to survive being relegated for a second season in succession.

And whilst Irishman Alli made an impact for Town, scoring four Championship goals in the fjnal six matches of the campaign, despite spending much of his early time at the club coming off the bench, it was not enough to see Luton remain in the division, with relegation confirmed on the final day of the season with defeat to West Brom.

Alli started the 2025-26 season an important starter under Bloomfield, but since he has been replaced in the Kenilworth Road dugout by ex-England international Jack Wilshere, he has featured just four times in league action, and he has not been in the last five matchday squads for Town.

Wilshere recently revealed that Alli needs to go out and play football, and Portsmouth could give the versatile forward that opportunity, with talks continuing and nearly completed over a temporary move to Fratton Park for his services, which would give Mousinho some more depth and relief after the latest blows involving Lang, Murphy and Yang.