Portsmouth are expecting to lose club captain Tom Naylor despite offering him a new contract to remain at the club, per the Portsmouth News.

Pompey published their retained list on Saturday and six players will be leaving Fratton Park at the end of their contracts as Danny Cowley looks to shape the squad how he sees fit, with the headlining departures being Andy Cannon and Jordy Hiwula.

Several players were still in the process of negotiating new deals though, including Jack Whatmough, Ryan Williams and the ever-present Naylor.

But it looks like Naylor will be departing the club, despite Cowley apparently keen to tie him down to a new deal.

The 29-year-old joined in the summer of 2018 from Burton Albion and has missed very few games in the three seasons he's been at the club.

He netted eight goals in all competitions for Pompey last season and has been one of their top performances but The News reports that the club are unwilling to match the wages he's currently on and have offered him a lesser contract to remain.

The Verdict

It will be a big blow for Cowley to lose a leader from his engine room like Naylor as he's been one of the players that the club has been able to rely on since 2018.

But Pompey seemingly want to cut their cloth accordingly and that means trimming the wage bill a bit, and that unfortunately may mean losing a few talented players.

Naylor won't have any issue finding another top League One club though - The News believe that Naylor is more likely to return up north to his Nottinghamshire roots and that could bring the likes of Rotherham and Sheffield Wednesday into the mix as potential destinations.