Portsmouth are eyeing up a transfer raid of their divisional rivals Peterborough United for versatile right-sided player Joe Ward, reports TalkSPORT's Alex Crook.

Danny Cowley has brought in a whole host of new faces within the last two weeks, and he's planning on ramping up the recruitment drive even further with a move for Ward.

The 26-year-old has been a Posh player since 2018 when he arrived from non-league outfit Woking, and has since racked up 164 league appearances for the club - including 38 outings in the Championship last season.

Ward featured more often than not as a right wing-back last season for Peterborough, whilst also playing as a right-back and a winger when required.

And it is likely that Cowley is targeting Ward for a starting berth on the right-hand side of a midfield four, with Portsmouth's boss deploying a 4-4-2 formation in their thrilling League One curtain-raiser against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough this past weekend, which ended 3-3.

Ward started on the bench for Peterborough in their own opening fixture against Cheltenham Town, but after coming off the bench when his side were 2-0 down at half-time, he notched two assists in what ended up being a 3-2 victory for Posh in Gloucestershire.

The Verdict

Pompey supporters had to wait a while for the club to really get going in the transfer market, but it looks as though they're really going for it now.

A switch in tactical systems from the back end of last season has seen Portsmouth go from a 3-4-1-2 formation to a back-to-basics 4-4-2, and that means a right-winger is on Cowley's agenda.

Michael Jacobs started on the right against Sheffield Wednesday, but with his history of fitness issues he cannot be entrusted to play over 30 games a season at this stage in his career.

Ward is very battle-hardened and as evidenced on the opening day of the campaign has a keen eye for supplying strikers with goals, so it's understandable as to why Pompey are keen.

However, even with just one year remaining on his contract, Ward will likely command a half-decent fee - possibly a low seven-figure one - so it looks like a real tough ask for Portsmouth to get a deal done.