PORTSMOUTH FANCY DOUBLE FRENCH SWOOP

PORTSMOUTH chief Paul Hart's sights are on a double January swoop for French young guns Loic Remy and Hatem Ben Arfa.

Hart has been tapping into Pompey director of football Avram Grant's knowledge of the European market.

Director of football Avram Grant has pinpointed in-form Nice striker Remy and Marseille winger Ben Arfa, both 22, to help fire Pompey out of the Premier League's bottom three.

Remy, who has bagged six goals in 12 games for mid-table Nice and recently earned a call-up to the full French squad, is available for £6 million.

BEN ARFA: Marseille bad boy

Bad-boy Ben Arfa has fallen out with Marseille head coach Didier Deschamps following a series of disciplinary issues, and Pompey are hoping to tie up a six-month loan deal ahead of a permanent move in the summer.

Grant has not received his work permit to begin operating at Pompey's yet, but has been offering his extensive knowledge of the European transfer market to Hart.

Hart said: "We're looking at players and coming up with potential targets for January or for the summer.

"I am thinking about players that I would like but actually getting them is another thing."

Hart desperately needs cover as Aruna Dindane, Kanu, John Utaka, Hassan Yebda, Nadir Belhadj and Kevin Prince-Boateng all depart for the African Nations Cup in January.

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