Portsmouth ‘plot’ Newcastle United transfer swoop after Eddie Howe ‘tease’ and Matt Ritchie move

Pompey have already added former Newcastle United winger Matt Ritchie to their ranks this summer as they embark on a first season in the Championship since the 2011/12 season. John Mousinho’s side have drawn both of their opening two games of the season with Ritchie appearing as a substitute in both games.

And the 34-year-old could soon be joined by one of his former Magpies teammates at Fratton Park with reports from I News suggesting that Murphy could be on his way to the south coast. Murphy has been a regular for Newcastle United’s Under-21’s and was a common feature in Eddie Howe’s matchday squads last season as the first-team were plagued by injuries.

The 20-year-old made his Premier League debut as a late substitute against Chelsea in November and followed that up with an eight-minute cameo against Sheffield United towards the end of the season. The former Galway United man has represented the Republic of Ireland at youth level and was someone who greatly impressed in pre-season ahead of last season.

Pompey are not the only side interested in Murphy, however, with the report also stating that other Championship clubs have registered an interest in the defender. Speaking at the end of last season, Howe teased that a loan move could be the best option for Murphy to expose him to regular first-team football: “There will come a time for Alex where we'll need to expose him to the team or maybe a loan spell but that's further on in the future.”