Portsmouth closing in on deal to sign Ipswich Town star Conor Chaplin | OneFootball

The 28-year-old scored 13 for Ipswich Town in their promotion campaign two seasons ago

Portsmouth are advancing in a deal to sign Conor Chaplin on loan from Ipswich Town.

This is according to Mike McGrath on X, who revealed that Pompey are "closing in" on a deal which will see the 28-year-old attacking midfielder come to Fratton Park for the season.

Chaplin was a huge part of the Ipswich side who secured back-to-back promotions to the Premier League, scoring 39 goals across both campaigns in League One and the Championship.

However, as has been the case with some of the other departures from Portman Road this summer, the squad has seemingly outgrown Chaplin, who was used mainly from the bench in the Premier League last season, and has found regular Championship minutes hard to come by this term.

A return to Portsmouth is on the cards, after the 28-year-old came up through the academy on the south coast to play over 100 times for the club. There, he helped the side earn promotion from League Two in the 2016/17 campaign.

The 28-year-old would be a healthy addition to what is already a competitive attacking midfield role at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth close in on Conor Chaplin loan arrival

Conor Chaplin is set to bring promotion experience to Fratton Park, as Mike McGrath has reported that Portsmouth are closing in on a deal to bring the 28-year-old in on loan.

Chaplin has made 174 appearances for the Tractor Boys since arriving from Barnsley in 2021, and has been a fan favourite throughout the club's meteoric rise from League One to the Premier League.

His 26 goals in the 2022/23 League One campaign saw him top the scoring charts, and then he contributed another 13 goals alongside nine assists in the Championship as Kieran McKenna's side earned a second successive promotion.

Game time was limited last season in the Premier League, and so far in 2025/26, Chaplin has started just one league game, the 2-2 draw against Derby County on Saturday.

The likes of Cameron Burgess, Marcuss Harness, Massimo Luongo and Sam Morsy have all departed the club this summer after playing a big part in the Tractor Boys' rise up the divisions, and it looks like the influx of talent into the squad over the past couple of seasons may have caught up to Chaplin, too.

Portsmouth set to benefit from Ipswich Town, Conor Chaplin loan decision

Pompey have started this season in a completely different vein of form to Ipswich, picking up seven points in their first four Championship games.

Adrian Segecic, their new arrival from Sydney FC, has performed admirably behind Colby Bishop, scoring twice, but he is also comfortable playing out wide.

Chaplin's arrival would open up the opportunity of having Segecic partner Josh Murphy on the wings, with the Ipswich man playing off of Bishop in the '10' role, which makes for an exciting frontline at John Mousinho's expense.

Those four players are seemingly no strangers to goal contributions in the Championship, and Pompey fans would have a lot to look forward to if those four ended up on the pitch at the same time.

Portsmouth picked up the ninth-most points in the second tier in the 32 games following their nightmareish start to last season, and so far this year have started the campaign on the front foot, both on and off the field.

Chaplin was involved in an unlikely promotion the last time he played at this level, and could possibly contribute to an unlikely play-off push under John Mousinho this season.