Andre Dozzell will leave Portsmouth at the end of the season and join MLS side DC United, the BBC reports. The midfielder has turned down the offer of a new contract at Fratton Park, opting instead to move to the United States when his current deal expires this summer.
The departure brings to a close Dozzell's time on the south coast, where he has been part of a Portsmouth side navigating life in the Championship following their return to the second tier. According to the BBC, the agreement with DC United is already in place, meaning the move will be formalised once his contract concludes.
Dozzell, the son of former Ipswich and England midfielder Jason Dozzell, has spent much of his career in English football's lower and middle reaches. He came through the academy at Ipswich Town, where he made his first-team debut as a teenager, and went on to have spells at several clubs before arriving at Portsmouth. His decision to cross the Atlantic represents a significant step, and one that an increasing number of English players have been willing to take as MLS has grown in profile and financial competitiveness.
DC United, one of the founding clubs of Major League Soccer, are based in Washington and compete in the Eastern Conference. The club have historically drawn players from Europe and South America and will be looking to Dozzell to contribute in the centre of the park as the league's summer season gets under way.
For Portsmouth, the news will prompt questions about squad planning in the coming weeks. Losing a contracted midfielder without a fee will be a consideration for their recruitment team, though the fact that a deal was offered suggests the club were willing to retain him had he chosen differently. How they address the position ahead of next season remains to be seen.