Denver Hume has emerged as a transfer target for Sunderland's League One rivals Portsmouth - with Lee Johnson choosing his words carefully when discussing the academy product's future.
Pompey boss Danny Cowley is understood to be weighing up a move for Hume, who has found himself shunted down the pecking order on Wearside this season following the arrivals of Dennis Cirkin and Niall Huggins this term.
Hume was out of contract last summer and stalled on signing a new deal, but eventually signed up for another two years in September by which time Cirkin and Huggins had joined the Black Cats.
