Portsmouth and Cardiff City eye transfer for ex-Barnsley star | OneFootball

According to The News, the 24-year-old is the subject of transfer interest from two Championship sides.

Portsmouth gained promotion to the second tier by winning the League One title, with John Mousinho guiding the club back to the division for the first time since 2012.

Meanwhile, Cardiff finished 12th in the table last season under Erol Bulut, and will now be looking to improve their standing for the campaign ahead.

Williams was an ever-present part of the Tykes; promotion push, featuring in all 46 games in the third tier last year, starting 45 times (all stats from Fbref).

Portsmouth and Cardiff eye Barnsley transfer

Portsmouth have identified Williams as a priority target for the upcoming transfer window, which officially opens on Friday.

Right-back is seen as an area of the team that Pompey want to strengthen ahead of their return to the Championship following Joey Rafferty exit.

Zak Swanson’s future at Fratton Park is also still up in the air, with the club currently looking to negotiate a new deal with the defender after not taking up the option to automatically extend him by an extra 12 months.

Williams is seen as an ideal candidate, having earned two seasons’ worth of Championship experience already, as well as showing a lot of leadership quality during his time as Barnsley captain.

But Portsmouth face competition in the race to his signature from Cardiff, with the Bluebirds also looking to strengthen their backline for next season.

Williams is also available as a free transfer following his release from Barnsley, meaning he will be an affordable target for any club eyeing a move this summer.

The full-back signed for Barnsley in 2018, and cemented himself as a mainstay in the side over the last few years, but walked away from Oakwell after the team’s play-off semi-final loss to Bolton.

Portsmouth’s Championship ambition

Portsmouth will be looking to build a team capable of competing in the Championship next season.

The club will be keen to avoid any relegation battle by cementing their place in the second division.

Right-back will be a key area for Pompey to improve during the transfer window, as there currently isn’t a single player contracted to the club that plays in that position.

However, it remains to be seen whether they can convince Williams to move to Fratton Park instead of joining Bulut’s side, or going elsewhere, for the upcoming campaign.

Williams would be a solid addition for Portsmouth

Winning the race to Williams’ signing would be a good start to the summer window for Pompey.

Given he’ll be a free agent, there is little downside to this kind of move financially.

This move would be an ideal solution to their right-back problem given the cost and Williams’ own quality.

The defender has plenty of Championship experience already, and he performed quite well across the last two seasons in League One.

Williams contributed six goals and 10 assists from right-back from 89 appearances in the third tier with Barnsley.