Portsmouth and Hull City are rivalling each other in the pursuit of Jake Doyle-Hayes, with Blackpool, Doncaster Rovers and MK Dons also in the mix for his signature.

The 21-year-old is a free-agent after leaving Aston Villa and is on the lookout for a permanent home for the 2020/21 campaign.

Football Insider report how Portsmouth and Hull City are in the mix to sign him, but a host of their EFL rivals also share an interest in signing Doyle-Hayes. That includes Blackpool, Doncaster and MK Dons.

Quiz: Can you identify these 10 ex-Portsmouth players by looking at these hidden images?

 

The midfielder made only three League Cup appearances during his time with the senior team at Villa.

However, he built up plenty of experience elsewhere.

Six appearances came for Cambridge United in League Two at the end of the 2018/19 campaign, which then led Doyle-Hayes into a season-long loan with Cheltenham last season.

There, he made 36 appearances across all competitions and helped Cheltenham into the League Two play-offs.

The midfielder played in both legs of the play-off semi-final defeat to Northampton Town.

The Verdict  

Naturally, the next step for Doyle-Hayes to take is into League One after his role in the fourth-tier last season.

He’s a player that was highly rated with Aston Villa, but their promotion into the Premier League and subsequent survival has left the midfielder on the lookout for a fresh start.

That’s the way the cookie crumbles in football, but it appears like the 21-year-old is now well placed for a decent chance in League One.

Thoughts? Let us know!