David Nugent has reportedly agreed to join Portsmouth
from Preston in a £6million deal after fresh talks with the Premier
League club.
Pompey have yet to confirm the news but, according to the
Portsmouth News, Nugent will complete the move after the expected
formality of taking a medical.
The 22-year-old, who won his first England cap as a goalscoring
substitute in the Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona,
looks set to sign a four-year contract to become manager Harry
Redknapp's sixth signing of the summer and partially solve his
striker crisis.
Portsmouth were thought to have initially baulked at Preston's
valuation of the player.
But with Nigerian striker Kanu's future uncertain after repeatedly
turning down only a one-year new deal and Svetoslav Todorov joining
Charlton, they may have felt obliged to pay up after Sunderland
pulled out of a bid for the player. Nugent has a year left on his
contract at Deepdale and was thought to be waiting for a deal to be
offered by Everton.
Rennes striker John Utaka, Kanu's front-line partner in the Nigeria
national side, is another striker under Pompey's microscope and
they could press ahead with a deal for him despite another
£6million valuation from the French club.
Nugent will be expected to link up with his new team-mates on their
trip to the west country ahead of Saturday's opening pre-season
friendly with Yeovil.
And he will also travel with the squad to Hong Kong for the Asia
Cup next week.
He follows defenders Sylvain Distin, Hermann Hreidarsson and Martin
Crainie plus two midfielders, £7million Sulley Muntari and
£1.5million Arnold Mvuemba, into the club.
