League One leaders Portsmouth's interest in Carlisle United's Owen Moxon is genuine but it remains to be seen whether a deal will be done before this week's transfer deadline.

Midfielder Moxon is in Pompey's sights after the news that he would not be signing a new deal at Brunton Park.

But it is currently unclear whether United will sanction the 26-year-old's departure ahead of Thursday night's cut-off for deals.

Reports in Portsmouth suggest Carlisle's present valuation of Moxon could prove a "stumbling block" in terms of agreeing a deal in the coming days.

If John Mousinho's club push for the move it will come down to United's decision on whether to get what they can in terms of a fee for the Denton Holme star, or accept the likelihood of losing him for nothing in the summer.

The Blues' willingness to rely on Moxon for the remainder of their relegation battle, at a time boss Paul Simpson has said he needs to speak to the player about his state of mind amid a social media backlash over his contract decision, could also be a factor.

The News in Portsmouth have tonight reported that Portsmouth see United's current valuation of the former Annan Athletic man as too high for a player in the final months of his deal.

The suggestion is that Pompey may be prepared to wait until the summer, by which point they could be a Championship club. The south coast club, who are two points clear at the summit of League One, have today signed Wigan Athletic attacker Callum Lang, and Mousinho told reporters today that he would be "surprised" if they did not do more business this week.

Carlisle have today declined to comment on the speculation surrounding the Fratton Park outfit's interest in Moxon, whose agent is the former United manager Graham Kavanagh.

Simpson said the deal Moxon has declined to sign is the best contract the Blues have offered during his time as manager.

Recent reports have also linked Blackpool - who failed with a summer bid for the midfielder - with continued interest.

The intrigue over Moxon's future is likely to be a key feature of the last 72 hours of the January window, with the prospect of more incoming and outgoing movement at Brunton Park.

Simpson remains determined to bring in another centre-forward with strong "physical" capabilities.

There is also a strong possibility that some players from the fringes could leave Brunton Park before 11pm on Thursday.