Portsmouth admires the new transfer twist in the war for the defender desired by Coventry, Preston North End, and Birmingham.

The competition to sign Peterborough full-back Harrison Burrows, a player Pompey was interested in this summer, has taken a new turn.

This transfer window, speculation about the highly-rated 22-year-old has been rampant due to Posh’s inability to be promoted back to the Championship.

A move to recently relegated Birmingham has been strongly suggested, and the Blues are reportedly linked to the left-back Burrows. Last month, it was reported that the defender, who is also interested in Coventry, had traveled to Sheffield United, where a medical was successfully completed and personal terms over a “multi-million pound” deal had been agreed.

One of the reasons Pompey decided it would be best to give up on the Peterborough defender was the rumored fee, which exceeds £2 million. In fact, since then, head coach John Mousinho has stated that the Blues are satisfied with what both Jack Sparkes and Connor Ogilvie can offer at left-back and are not seeking to add further options to the position as they prepare to defend their championship.

Nevertheless, it seems Burrows is no closer to knowing where he’ll be playing football in 2024–25 with the new season only four weeks away. This is due to reports from The Peterborough Telegraph, our sister publication, which claims that the Blades have withdrawn from any agreement to bring the young product from London Road to Bramall Lane.

The first obstacle was thought to have been the lengthy takeover of the former Premier League club. However, it has been stated that Sheffield United “no longer wants to pay the asking price,” which is why the deal has reportedly fallen through. Furthermore, Burrows reportedly visited Yorkshire, but no documentation was finished, allowing the Blades to terminate the move.

As part of Peterborough’s preseason training, the player is now in Spain. But Burrows was not involved in Posh’s friendly loss to AFC Wimbledon on Friday night.

Darragh MacAnthony, the chairman of Peterborough, stated during the week that three Championship teams and a “massive” League One club had been in continual negotiations to sign the current League One player of the year.