Portsmouth have confirmed the departure of Leon Maloney, with the 18-year-old making the switch to Dutch second-tier side FC Volendam for an undisclosed fee.

The club announced the news on Thursday afternoon on the official website, and the youngster becomes the third Pompey player to leave the club this January, after Luke McGee and Anton Walkes.

According to Volendam's official website, Maloney has signed a deal at the Dutch club running until 2023.

The move brings an end to the 18-year-old's nine-year stay at Pompey, having joined the south coast club at the age of nine.

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Born on the Isle of Wight, Maloney first penned a two-year scholarship deal with Pompey's Under-18's at the start of the 2017/18 season, going on to earn his third year scholarship contract in April 2019.

The youngster, who has been described as a player with "pace to burn" by Portsmouth's academy manager Mark Kelly, has gone on to feature a total of five times for the first team, all coming in the EFL Trophy.

He was on the scoresheet for Pompey in their win over Northampton Town in the competition last month.

Volendam currently compete in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch Football, currently sitting in 4th place in the table. Het Andere Oranje were last in the top flight back in the 2008-09 season.

The Verdict

Portsmouth fans will be disappointed with this news, as Maloney has been touted as one of the next big things to come out of the academy.

2019 was his breakthrough year at the club, and he demonstrated his quality in the four Leasing.com trophy matches he has played for the first-team.

Volendam are in the Eerste Divisie play-off places, and Maloney will be hoping he can play a key part for the remainder of the season at his new club.