English League One club Portsmouth have reportedly swooped in for Socceroos defender Harry Souttar but face stiff opposition from Stoke City.
Souttar was widely considered to be one of the best players in League One last season on loan to Fleetwood Town, which has burgeoned new interest in the towering centrehalf from parent club Stoke.
Souttar has rejoined Stoke in the offseason and has played most of their friendly games, garnering generally good feedback.
In Portsmouth's favour is the fact Stoke do have a packed squad and have already let many players - including former Socceroo Adam Federici - leave the club recently.
Portsmouth, who are also home to fringe Socceroo Ryan Williams, reportedly targeted Souttar to fix the club's defensive issues, according to The Portsmouth News.
But given Stoke boss Michael O'Neill has been full of praise for Souttar in the past, whether a deal will go through or not remains uncertain.
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