Portsmouth are facing competition from other League One clubs to complete the signing of midfielder Jake Hesketh, a report from The Portsmouth News has revealed.

Hesketh is currently a free agent after leaving Pompey's local rivals Southampton at the expiry of his contract earlier this summer.

The 25-year-old - who previously played under Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley on loan at Lincoln - is now on trial at Fratton Park, and played in their friendly win over Havant and Waterlooville at the weekend.

Now it seems as though Hesketh's performances on trial at Pompey, have started to attract plenty of attention.

According to this latest update, Portsmouth are considering offering Hesketh a new contract after being impressed by his efforts during his trial, although other League One clubs are now also said to be keen on the midfielder.

However, it is thought that Hesketh's priority still remains securing a permanent contract with Portsmouth, due to the fact that he wants to stay in the south coast area.

So far this summer, Portsmouth have signed five players for their senior side, with Clark Robertson, Shaun Williams, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Kieron Freeman and Manchester City loanee Gavin Bazunu all joining the League One club.

The Verdict

This does look promising from a Portsmouth perspective.

It seems as though Hesketh has made an impact at Fratton Park so far, meaning he could be a useful asset for them if they are able to secure a deal for the midfielder.

Indeed, given Hesketh and Cowley already know each other from their time at Lincoln, you do wonder whether this could be a deal that works well for all involved.

As a result, this would be another promising deal for Portsmouth in what has already been an encouraging summer for them in terms of the signings they have made, and it will be interesting to see if they do look to get this one over the line.