By Shaun Keenan, sseairtricityleague.ie Derry City reporter... Derry City forward Ronan Curtis looks set to join League One outfit Portsmouth. It will be the club’s latest export of another in-form player, who has scored seven goals already in this
By Shaun Keenan, sseairtricityleague.ie Derry City reporter...
Derry City forward Ronan Curtis looks set to join League One outfit Portsmouth.
It will be the club’s latest export of another in-form player, who has scored seven goals already in this campaign in all competitions.
Last month, Kenny Shiels was adamant that the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international would not be making a move to England’s south coast but the Derry manager now appears resigned to losing the forward.
"It's my club who will make the final decision on that but we hope to have him here for the summer," he said.
"We want to work on the principle that when we exit from Europe the player can go which is the logical step. But I'm really not in a position to say what his position is."
Curtis, who scored three goals in City’s 7-3 EA Sports Cup quarter-final against Shelbourne on Monday night, has been heavily linked with a move away from the club since last summer.
The 22 year-old has been subject to vast interest from the UK and travelled to Sweden last August to sign for Europa League outfit Osterunds but negotiations failed to materialise when the player couldn’t agree on personal terms.
The London-born player appears to have had the final say on the potential move and is scheduled to fly to England later this week as he prepares to force through a move to Fratton Park.
Speaking after Derry’s victory against Shelbourne, Curtis said: “As long as I am with Derry City I am going to give one hundred and twenty per cent and give my all until the right club comes in for me.”
That club now appears to be Portsmouth and Shiels insisted that the club will now get behind the player and get the best possible valuation for the club.
"When you're a forward and you score goals and you're young you're looking at a lot of value there. Whereas if you're a full-back or a centre-back it's a much different level of value. Ronan is a player who has a bright future. "The decision is upstairs, it's not with me," Shiels said.
"I know how the game in England works. This club has got the tradition of accommodating players who want to get to the professional game in England and Scotland. Derry City have always been supportive of that so we don't see any need to change that. We will just have to rebuild again."
