The monumental figure Sunderland were quoted by Doncaster for John Marquis prior to his Portsmouth move
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When John Marquis moved to Fratton Park, there was hardly a Blues fan who disapproved.
The striker had forged a reputation as one of the most prolific goalscorers in League One, having bagged 66 goals in 153 games for Doncaster Rovers over three seasons.
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Hide AdMarquis joined Pompey from the Keepmoat for a fee that could rise to nearly £2m with add-ons.
The former Millwall forward was a wanted man in January during the 2018-19 season, though.
Sunderland were keen to prise Marquis to the Stadium of Light in an attempt to bolster their League One promotion push.
But revealed in the second season of Sunderland Til I Die – which was released on Netflix this morning – Donny significantly hiked up Marquis’ price.
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Hide AdBlack Cats owner Stewart Donald revealed Doncaster slapped a £10m figure on the ex-Northampton and Gillingham loanee.
Grant McCann's side were also in the race for a spot in the Championship and were clearly reluctant to sell their prized asset to a top-six rival.
Sunderland tried their luck with a £1.5m bid – but it unsurprisingly proved unsuccessful.
‘Marquis is £10m but I’m going to offer them £1.5m and say that is the best we can do,’ said Donald in episode five of the popular series.
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Hide AdSunderland would go on to sign Will Grigg from Wigan Athletic for a price tag of £3m on transfer deadline day.
Since arriving at Pompey in July, Marquis has scored 14 goals in 46 appearances.
The 27-year-old bagged the winning goal to send the Blues back to Wembley, with his late intervention handing Kenny Jackett’s men a dramatic 3-2 Leasing.com Trophy victory over Exeter City in February.
He's primarily been battling with Ellis Harrison for the lone striking berth in Pompey's 4-2-3-1 system.
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Hide AdHarrison also moved to PO4 in summer for a fee believed to be around £450,000 from Ipswich Town.
In total, the former Bristol Rovers marksman has netted 10 times in 37 outings.
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