A major update has emerged on Gillingham centre-back Jack Tucker, regarding Portsmouth's interest in his signature.

What's the talk?

According to The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, Portsmouth have tabled an opening bid for Gillingham centre-back Jack Tucker. In the printed edition of The Sun (20/06, p65), as transcribed by Football League World, it has been claimed that Portsmouth's offer is worth £200k.

The report claims that Gillingham are not prepared to listen to offers in that region and are demanding £1m for the young centre-back this summer.

Last year, Gillingham boss Steve Evans claimed that Tucker has all the qualities he needs to be a quality player at centre-back. He told the Scottish Sun:

“Jack’s got everything.

“He’s been a little inconsistent lately after a lot of good publicity but I’ve seen that before with young players, the likes of Lewis Cook, now playing in the Premier League at Bournemouth, and Chris Wood who I signed for Leeds and is now scoring regularly at Burnley.

“Jack’s two footed, is good in the air and he’s a competitor. He’s got a bright future, make no mistake.

Cowley would love him

Pompey owner Michael Eisner needs to go back in with another offer for Tucker to make sure that he can bring him to Fratton Park this summer.

Jack Whatmough and Tom Naylor have both left the club to join League One rivals Wigan on free transfers, which has left a gaping hole in Danny Cowley's Portsmouth squad ahead of next season. Eisner needs to add a centre-back or two to Cowley's ranks and Tucker could be an ideal target for the club.

Tucker ticks multiple boxes for Portsmouth; he is young, has potential, is experienced in League One and has proven his quality at this level. In terms of his age, Tucker is only 21 and has plenty of years left ahead of him to develop as a player. Whilst £1m may seem steep at this stage, it could prove to be a bargain if Tucker is able to progress into a Championship or even Premier League standard player - with Evans admitting that he has a bright future ahead of him.

The central defender caught the eye in League One with some outstanding performances. He averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.02 in 43 appearances for Gillingham in the season just gone.

For context, that is a higher score than both Whatmough and Naylor managed for Portsmouth and the same as Sean Raggett - who was ranked as Portsmouth's second-best player overall. This is why Cowley would love to have Tucker at Fratton Park; he is a quality young centre-back who could be a great addition in the short and long term for Portsmouth.

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