BREAKING: Portsmouth ready to stake claim for exciting Crystal Palace winger linked with Leicester City, Sunderland and Hull City

Pompey are ready to register their interest in Crystal Palace’s Jesurun Rak-Sakyi.

But the Blues are not holding out hope of being able to seal a loan deal for the exciting winger, who is likely to be a wanted man this summer.

Transfer plans are continuing for what is going to be a big summer of recruitment at PO4, following this season’s glorious title win.

Wingers look set to be a key focus with Paddy Lane and Callum Lang the main contracted players operating in that area of the pitch. It remains to be seen what happens for Anthony Scully and Gavin Whyte moving forward, after difficult seasons.

Rak-Sakyi is an option John Mousinho would love to have at Fratton Park next season, with the 21-year-old offering exactly the kind of attacking quality required in the Championship.

There are doubts within the Fratton football operation about the pathway to sealing a deal for the Londoner, however, who made a huge impact on loan with Charlton in the 2022-23 season.

Rak-Sakyi currently appears to be out of favour at Selhurst Park and hadn’t made a squad since Oliver Glasner’s appointment in February, until being an unused sub for their 1-1 draw at Fulham at the end of last month.

That has been noted by Pompey, with Mousinho keen to be in the running to land the man who’s made six Premier League appearances this season should he become available.

The futures of both Michael Olise and Ebrechi Eze factor into the equation, with Olise linked with Manchester City and Eze touted for moves to Tottenham and Manchester City.

Exits for the pair would push Rak-Sakyi up the Palace pecking order, while his availability would likely spark a scrum for his services after the likes of Sunderland, Leicester and Hull were touted with interest last summer.

Pompey are aware a loan move for Rak-Sakyi is something that could develop late in the transfer window, as is usually the case with temporary deals.

Clubs tend to assess their squads in pre-season, with their own positions over recruitment crystallising closer to the September 1 deadline.

Once sides know they have cover, that can then pave the way for fringe players like Rak-Sakyi to conceivably depart.

Pompey would certainly like to be in that conversation should such a scenario develop, while leaving them free to focus on other options in a department which is likely to require significant attention this summer.

Rak-Sakyi’s team-mate Jadan Raymond is also someone who remains of interest to Pompey, with a deal explored for the 20-year-old in the January window.