Portsmouth FC plot move for player from Premier League club | OneFootball

Pompey have a track record of going after Selhurst Park's bets youngsters.

Portsmouth are eyeing up yet another Crystal Palace transfer target. This time it's the Eagles' attacking midfielder Hindolo Mustapha.

In a lot of recent transfer windows, Pompey have clearly exercised their knowledge/connection to Selhurst Park and their young talents to look at potential deals.

Previously, it was Jadan Raymond, the Welsh midfielder who John Mousinho's side tried, and failed, to get in the January window of their promotion-winning campaign; they maintained their interest in him into the summer too.

They were also linked with Jesurun Rak-Sakyi in the summer before he joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan. Now their focus has turned to another Palace youth-team member.

Portsmouth eyeing a deal for Crystal Palace youngster, Hindolo Mustapha

Mustapha, 18, is wanted on loan by Portsmouth, according to the South London Press, and he is said to be one of their top transfer targets for this summer.

Mousinho has watched the Sierra Leone international play live for the club's under-21s side, as per SLP, for whom he has scored eight goals in 20 appearances this season.

A lot was made this season of Pompey's miniscule budget. It was particularly highlighted when the club confirmed that Fratton Park would be a Championship ground again next season after battling to stay out of the relegation zone throughout the current term. Thankfully for the club and their supporters, Mousinho is expecting to have an increased budget at his disposal this summer.

While bringing in Mustapha, who was nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Month award for March, wouldn't command a transfer fee, being able to potentially cover a higher portion of the teenager's wages, or even pay a loan fee, would help Portsmouth in their pursuit of the winger.

He scored in the youth team's most recent outing in the Premier League 2 play-offs against rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. The side's number 10 struck the ball sweetly on the half-volley and rifled it past the Seagulls' goalkeeper to score the first goal of what was a 3-1 win for Palace.

Mustapha was linked with another temporary switch of clubs in January when previous League Two title-favourites Walsall were reported to be keen on bringing him in.

Portsmouth should always be looking at the best Premier League loanees

Even with the increase in spending power that the Pompey boss is expecting, they won't be able to compete with the teams at the top end of the Championship, in terms of spending power. Birmingham City and Wrexham's introduction to the league will make it even harder for the Fratton Park natives, even in the loan market, but those sorts of deals should still be their bread and butter.

They won't have the money to buy players of the quality of Rak-Sakyi or David Ozoh outright. What they can do is offer promising young players some professional experience in exchange for their services on a slightly cheaper deal.

They will be able to potentially guarantee more minutes to the likes of Mustapha than the bigger clubs with better depth in their squads, and, while the loan moves for the likes of Harvey Blair haven't been awe-inspiring, Pompey can still position themselves, over time, as the premier loanee destination for Premier League talents.