Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he would love to sign Stephen Appiah but has confessed that with Arsenal and Juventus also in the hunt he is likely to miss out.

The Ghanaian is currently a free agent, having been released by Fenerbahce, which has led to a host of clubs being linked with a move for the midfielder.

Speaking to the Portsmouth News, Redknapp admitted he would be thrilled to sign Appiah and admitted the FA Cup holders were in with a slight chance of securing his signature.

“Appiah's a fantastic footballer, he's an athlete, has a great engine, works hard and is the captain of Ghana. A lot of teams would love to sign him,” explained Redknapp before adding, “There's a chance we might get him, like I say, we are interested in him. We'll just have to see what happens.”

However, despite his obvious admiration for the midfielder Redknapp was also realistic and admitted Portsmouth would face stiff competition in the race to sign Ghana’s captain.

“It's going to be tough to get him - there are a lot of clubs chasing him, clubs like West Ham and Arsenal, which you expect because he's a free agent,” said the Portsmouth boss, “I am sure Juventus will want him back as well. There will be plenty of takers.”

Redknapp also admitted that he had been tempted to make a move for Appiah previously but had opted for Sulley Muntari instead.

"I've asked about him in the past. I watched him plenty of times when I was looking at Sulley Muntari and they played together for Ghana,” said Redknapp, “He's a top player but I already wanted Sulley and couldn't have both of them.”

Having since lost Muntari to Inter Milan, Redknapp is in the market for a replacement but with Arsenal and Juventus able to offer the former Fenerbahce man Champions League football, Redknapp knows his chances of signing the player remain slim.

“He's a terrific player for somebody on a free,” added Redknapp, before concluding, “But there is a lot of competition out there which you expect for a very, very good player like that.”