Martin O'Neill is ready to raise his bid for Sylvain Distin after Portsmouth rejected an offer of around £2.5m on Wednesday.
New permanent Pompey boss Paul Hart stated that his club were not prepared to entertain any interest in their 31 year-old centre-back.
But, with Distin reportedly keen to move, Hart may not have much choice in the matter and he may be forced to let the Frenchman leave Fratton Park.
O'Neill is likely to go back in with a bid of around £4m as he aims to get his squad set for another busy campaign spanning four competitions.
Distin would undoubtedly be seen as a replacement for Martin Laursen but many fans will want more than just one new centre-back with silverware a must this time around.