Soccer: Nelsen transfer in the hands of 'the suits'

Ryan Nelsen has forged a reputation as a defender who can fend off the best strikers in the game but it seems he can't shake the interest of English Premiership club Portsmouth.

The 28-year-old was the subject of a £4 million ($12.2m) bid from the south coast side last month, which was immediately turned down by Blackburn Rovers.

But British reports suggest Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp might be ready to test Blackburn's resolve for Nelsen, while Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is reportedly eyeing Chelsea and Germany centre-half Robert Huth, who is also a Middlesbrough target.

Nelsen is just one central defender Redknapp has been chasing in the off-season, with Arsenal's Sol Campbell and Manchester City's Sylvain Distin also the subjects of transfer bids.

Nelsen did little to dispel speculation surrounding his future.

"Portsmouth is still going on and it's with the suits at the moment," he said from Blackburn. "There's some interest there but I don't know where things are at, I just kick a ball around."

Nelsen does that pretty well and has made people stand up and take notice since his free transfer from American Major League side DC United last January.

He soon won a new, improved contract with Blackburn and Portsmouth's recent interest has prompted suggestions Nelsen could be in line for another contract upgrade at Ewood Park.

"It's just at the talking stage at the moment," he said of talks with Blackburn. "It's nice to think that someone thinks you are all right but you have to put that out of your mind. When you start thinking about potential moves, your head can explode."

Nelsen emphasised he was happy at Blackburn and looking forward to their Premiership campaign which, ironically, kicks off against Portsmouth on August 20 (NZT), as well as playing in this season's Uefa Cup.

He's not a definite starter against Portsmouth, considering he has missed all Blackburn's pre-season campaign because of a hamstring strain that affected him last season. But he is hopeful of playing in next weekend's pre-season friendly, which just happens to be against the All Whites.

All Whites coach Ricki Herbert will contact Hughes tonight about which team Nelsen might play for but Nelsen has no preference.

"I just want to play in any game at the moment because I am so far behind," he said.

"It will be fun to see all the guys again and I don't mind which side I play for. The only thing I'm worried about is getting on the field.

"I feel a little bit removed [from the All Whites] because I haven't played for them for two years. It's a shame that I've been missing out but I've just been so busy. There are a lot of young players I've heard are doing really well and it's probably better they get an opportunity than me."