With Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley looking to assemble a squad which is capable of launching a push for automatic promotion next season, it will be intriguing to see whether he is able to get his recruitment spot on this summer.

The 42-year-old has already decided to make some drastic changes to his team by releasing six players last month.

Portsmouth have also been forced to wave goodbye to Tom Naylor, Ryan Williams, Ben Close and Jack Whatmough who have all moved on to pastures new after turning down the chance to stay at Fratton Park.

After sealing a deal for Bromley defender Liam Vincent earlier this month, Pompey were seemingly about to bolster their attacking options by swooping for Jayden Stockley.

A report from Football Insider suggested that Portsmouth were in advanced talks to sign the Preston North End forward after agreeing a fee believed to be in the region of £450,000 with the Championship outfit.

However, in a fresh update, it has now been revealed that Cowley's side are seemingly set to miss out on sealing a deal for Stockley to their League One rivals Charlton Athletic.

[gmsStartingEleven url="https://givemesport.starting11.co.uk/2020-09-05/"]

According to HampshireLive, the Addicks are currently leading the race for the 27-year-old's signature with The Valley understood to be the forward's preferred destination.

Following a frustrating start to the previous campaign at Preston which saw him make just four starts for the club in the Championship, Stockley joined Charlton on a temporary deal earlier this year and went on to deliver a number of impressive performances in the third-tier.

Whilst he was unable to fire the Addicks to a play-off place, the forward did manage to find the back of the net on eight occasions in 22 appearances.

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

This is unquestionably a setback for Portsmouth as Cowley was seemingly determined to secure the services of Stockley and thus will be disappointed by the forward's decision to turn down a move to Fratton Park.

Having illustrated that he is more than capable of competing at this level by averaging a fantastic WhoScored match rating of 7.41 last season, it wouldn't be at all surprising if the forward sets the third-tier alight next season if he opts to join Charlton.

Whilst John Marquis managed to score 16 goals in 41 league appearances for Portsmouth during the previous campaign, he could potentially take his game to new heights if the club bring in a forward who is able to challenge him for a starting role.

Taking this into consideration, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Cowley decides to focus on other targets in the coming weeks as he looks to add to his attacking options.

Read More - Champions League 2021/22: Fixtures, Draw, Results, Odds, Scores And Everything You Need To Know