Gary McSheffrey makes admission over Doncaster transfer links with Portsmouth player | OneFootball

Doncaster Rovers manager Gary McSheffrey has admitted that his side do not have a major interest in Portsmouth right-back Kieron Freeman.

Having had a loan spell at Fratton Park earlier in his career, Freeman returned to Portsmouth last summer, and made 25 appearances in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign.

But with the defender yet to make an appearance for the club this season, it was reported earlier in the week that Freeman could leave Portsmouth this summer after being deemed surplus to requirements, with Doncaster said to be leading the race for his services.

Now however, it seems that a deal to bring Freeman to the Keepmoat Stadium may be out of reach for Doncaster due to the financial cost of such a deal, judging by these latest comments from McSheffrey.

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Asked about his side’s reported interest in the right-back, the Doncaster boss was quoted by The Doncaster Free Press as saying: “There’s no major interest. His agent calls me quite often to see if we could probably take him.

“He’s a good player but ultimately a good player on a lot of money at Portsmouth, so we’ve got to prioritise where we put it (transfer funds).”

There is still one year remaining on Freeman’s contract with Portsmouth, meaning a fee will be required if a deal is to be completed as well.

The Verdict

This will likely be a somewhat frustrating update for those of a Doncaster Rovers persuasion.

Freeman’s experience and ability at a higher level could certainly be useful for McSheffrey’s side, as they look to bounce back in League Two after relegation from League One last season.

However, McSheffrey is right to insist that the club do not get carried away in the pursuit of this one signing, since there could still be plenty of business that needs to be done.

Funds will need to kept available for all of those deals, so the pressure no looks to be on to get those signings in, if they do elect not to move for Freeman.