Transfer gossip: Portsmouth in battle with Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End for goalscoring midfielder

Pompey are eyeing a move for Exeter’s Reece Cole, according to reports.

The Blues are said to be keen on the midfielder along with promotion rivals Bolton and Championship outfit Preston.

Cole’s name has today emerged with Pompey hopeful of sealing a Championship place tomorrow against Barnsley, ahead of a busy summer of transfer activity.

The 26-year-old is impressing for Gary Caldwell’s men this term and is currently on a run of three goals in his past five outings, amid seven finishes this term.

Cole stepped into league football last year with the Grecians, initially signing a six-month deal after impressing on trial after previously being with non-league outfit Hayes & Yeading in the Southern League.

The central operator emerged through the ranks at Brentford, but only made one Championship appearance for the Bees in 2017.

His stock has certainly risen this term at St James Park, with the Londoner making 40 appearances for Exeter.

Cole has a year remaining on his existing deal with Pompey’s League One rivals, with Football Insider reporting he is on sporting director Rich Hughes’ radar.

When extending his deal last November, Caldwell highlighted a belief there’s a lot more development in his player to come.

He told the BBC: ‘Reece has had a fantastic start to the season with us and really shown his quality and his set-piece delivery, but I still think there is more to come from him.

‘It was pretty early on that I decided to extend his deal. His fitness levels were much improved from when I knew him before and he's shown a real versatility on the pitch - we looked at it early and got it done.’

Pompey have 15 players out of contract this summer, with midfielders Marlon Pack, Joe Morrell, Lee Evans and Harry Jewitt-White among that number.