Pompey have rejected a double bid from Watford for Jason Pearce and Joel Ward, according to Sky Sports.
The amount of money offered is unknown but it seems the duo are much coveted given that Ipswich were also rumoured to be interested in the Pompey pair.
Out of all of Pompey's players, Ward and Pearce would be high on the list of players that fans would NOT want to see leave Fratton Park.
Pearce has arguably been our most consistent performer over the season whilst Ward may not have been as impressive as he was last season, but he offers versatility to the squad by being able to play in every position on the pitch apart from striker.
Given Joseph Cala's so-called plan to reduce the club's wage bill by selling the high earners at the club if (or more likely when) he arrives at Portsmouth, it would not make sense to sell two of the reported lower-earners in the squad.
Michael Appleton is loathe to lose two of his key players but if they were allowed to be sold then that will tell us absolutely everything we need to know about how bad the situation is at the club.