Pompey want decent fee for Utaka

The Fratton Park club are keen to raise a reported £15million from player sales as they look to emerge from administration before the new season. Utaka, who cost the South Coast outfit £7million when he was signed from Rennes in 2007, is said to be attracting interest from French side Sochaux and clubs in the Middle East. Administrator Andrew Andronikou accepts he will have to take a loss on the 28-year-old, who scored just seven goals in 65 appearances, but will not accept any offer unless it meets his valuation. Andronikou told The News: "I think John would want to go, but it would have to be a good bit of business. John is a talented striker and, on his day, he is a class act. "The coaches feel he is a player who would generate a good fee if he was to leave. It may well be that his career now lies away from Europe. "It may be that he wants to go back to the Middle East. We have ideas of what values we want to achieve. "We certainly think what we should be offered for John is more than we would expect for one or two other players. "We're not advocating a fire sale here, though, so if we don't achieve the price we think is right for him we are not going to let him go."