Portsmouth told they will be 'very lucky' to keep hold of Wrexham transfer target | OneFootball

FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit has given his verdict on whether the club will be able to retain Terry Devlin this summer amid interest from Wrexham.

Portsmouth can begin preparations for another season in the Championship after securing survival.

It looked as though Portsmouth were set for a nervous end to the season as they battled relegation, but a run of three consecutive victories against Middlesbrough, Ipswich Town and Leicester City pulled John Mousinho's side clear of the drop zone.

Pompey's five-game unbeaten run came to an end as they were hammered 5-1 by champions Coventry City at the CBS Arena on Tuesday night, but the defeat did not prove too damaging for the South Coast outfit, with results elsewhere ensuring their Championship safety.

One player who has been crucial to Portsmouth retaining their second tier status is defender Terry Devlin, who has scored five goals and provided one assist in 40 appearances in all competitions during an impressive campaign that saw him voted the club's player of the season by both supporters and his team-mates.

However, Devlin's future at Fratton Park was in doubt in the January transfer window after promotion hopefuls Wrexham set their sights on the 22-year-old, but the two clubs were unable to agree a deal, with FLW exclusively revealing that Pompey were demanding a fee of £2 million from the Welsh side.

While Portsmouth will have been delighted to keep hold of Devlin on that occasion, journalist Alan Nixon claimed last month that the Red Dragons could reignite their interest in the Northern Ireland international this summer as they weigh up alternatives to Manchester City loanee Issa Kabore.

Portsmouth warned to prepare for Terry Devlin bids this summer as Wrexham circle

When asked for his thoughts on Devlin's future, FLW's Portsmouth fan pundit Miltos Ioannidis revealed that he expects the defender to attract significant interest this summer, and he admitted that the club would be fortunate if he remains at Fratton Park next season.

"I think we will have done very well if we manage to keep Terry Devlin at the football club beyond the summer," Miltos told FLW.

"I believe there will be a lot of interest in him, and justifiably so.

"Wrexham came in January, sniffing around with an offer that was never going to get Terry Devlin, but I think more clubs now will see the value in him and see that there is a player there with an enormous amount of potential.

"I really hope we haven't seen him for the last time against Leicester, when he got injured.

"He is a player who is usually very good at staying free of injuries, this is the first time he's been injured for us in a really long time.

"I think there will certainly be a lot of interest in Terry Devlin in the summer, and it's just a case of how much we can hold on with the offers that will be made to us.

"I think there is potential that, if we decide to entertain offers, that Terry Devlin could become our most expensive sale in a long time, certainly since the Premier League days.

"His performances totally justify that.

"We will be a very lucky club if we manage to persuade Terry Devlin to stay for at least another season.

"But if we want to progress and move forward as a football club, then you've got to make an argument that we must hold onto our best players, and Terry Devlin is certainly one of those.

"We'll see how it goes, but I hope Terry Devlin is at the club next season because there is bound to be a lot of interest in him."

Selling Terry Devlin could have big John Mousinho consequences for Portsmouth

It is hard to believe that Devlin barely featured for Portsmouth in the early stages of the season, but after forcing his way into the team in November, he has played an integral part in his side's survival.

Having tried to sign Devlin in January, it would be no surprise to see Wrexham return with a fresh approach this summer, and with Phil Parkinson's men currently occupying the final Championship play-off place, they may be able to offer him Premier League football.

However, Mousinho warned the Pompey board this week that the club will "perennially be in this relegation fight" if they do not invest in the squad, raising question marks about his long-term future at Fratton Park, and selling one of his prized assets is unlikely to go down well with the 39-year-old.