Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley has admitted that Ipswich Town's Teddy Bishop is a player he is aware of, but has refused to be drawn on whether he could make a bid for the midfielder.

It was reported earlier this week that Portsmouth, along with League One rivals Lincoln and MK Dons, as well as Scottish Premiership side Hearts, are interested in a deal for the 24-year-old.

Bishop, who has made 132 appearances and scored five goals in all competitions for the Tractor Boys since graduating from their academy in 2013, has reportedly been told that he is free to find a new club this summer.

However, it seems that Cowley is reluctant to give much away when it comes to the possibility of a move to Fratton Park for the attacking midfielder.

Speaking about those reports linking Bishop with Portsmouth, the Pompey boss told The Portsmouth News: "Teddy is one we know well. He plays in the number eight/ number-10 role.

"As a midfielder, do you score goals, create goals or stop goals? I see so many midfielders who are neat and tidy but think: "What do you do?".

"They're neat and tidy but have got to be one of those things or ideally a combination."

Discussing what he sometimes looks for in a midfielder, Cowley went on to add: "I like a number six who can start the play and are very good at stopping the opponent. "You talk about the eight who is your box-to-box player. But now you get number eights who are a number eight/ number 10 who are creative.
"We like to play with a single pivot with one number six. Sometimes in the lower leagues, you need two number sixes because they can usually do it on the ball but not against the ball.
"But Teddy is a number eight/ number 10. He's a nice footballer but maybe just lost his way at Ipswich." As things stand, there is a year remaining on Bishop's contract with Ipswich, securing his future at Portman Road until the end of this season. The Verdict  These are some interesting comments from Cowley on Bishop. The Portsmouth manager is seemingly not willing to add much fuel to the fire when it comes to those links with a move for the Ipswich man. However, judging by the analysis he has given on Bishop, it does seem as though he clearly knows about the player, and has thought about how he might fit into his side at Fratton Park. As a result, I do think that this could be one to keep an eye in the next few weeks, particularly when you consider that both of these clubs will be targeting promotion to the Championship next season.