A major update has emerged on Clark Robertson's transfer plans which could be good news for Portsmouth's pursuit of the defender. 

What's the talk?

According to The Daily Record, Rotherham centre-back Clark Robertson looks set to stay in England this summer despite interest from Aberdeen. The Scottish Premiership side attempted to bring him to the club, but the report claims that he wants to remain in England, with his contract at Rotherham expiring at the end of the month.

Portsmouth are said to have made an offer to the centre-back too, although it remains to be seen if they are the club Robertson wants to join. Danny Cowley has identified the defender as a target to bolster his squad ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Back in 2018, Rotherham boss Paul Warne labeled Robertson as a “strong” defender with a competitive edge. He told Rotherham's official website: 

“He's a really good kid and he really wants to learn. He played a lot of games last year and the couple before that and I think he'll fit in a treat. He can step in and play out from the back, which the league we're going into will allow a little bit more and he'll bring us a bit of calmness.

“I've known him for quite a while and he's a left-sider, which is pretty unique. He can play and he was a huge part of the Blackpool team last year. He's a good, strong, competitive centre half which fits in with what we're looking for here."

Cowley would love him

Cowley would love Robertson at Portsmouth. He is an experienced performer at Championship and League One level and could slot in seamlessly at Fratton Park, as he already knows how to handle getting promoted out of the third tier having done so with Rotherham.

Robertson could be a low-risk addition to Cowley's side as he would not be coming in from a lower English division or a foreign team, thus needing time to adapt to the nature of League One.

Portsmouth are set due to lose Tom Naylor at the end of the month. The centre-back has signed a contract with Wigan and will join the Latics officially upon the expiry of his Portsmouth deal on June 30th. Naylor will leave a giant hole to fill in Cowley's side, as he started all 46 of the club's League One matches and averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.99. This is where Robertson could come in to replace Naylor in the squad.

The £3.4k-per-week ace averaged a solid WhoScored rating of 6.86 when starting as a centre-back in the Championship for Rotherham last season. This suggests that he should be able to perform to a higher standard in League One as it is a lower standard of football in comparison to the Championship. Therefore, he could match - or even better - the performances of Naylor for Pompey in the 2020/21 campaign.

Cowley should love this update about the player wanting to stay in England as it increases his side's chances of being able to sign an ideal replacement for the departing Naylor.

AND in other news, Portsmouth dealt major blow with “prolific” 10 G/A dynamo, Cowley will be devastated...