Lincoln City Fall Behind As £1m Defender Hunt Becomes £2m Pursuit

It seems Lincoln City have fallen behind in the pursuit of Luke Graham, as the £1m price tag doubles amid other Championship interest.

The Daily Record have suggested two Championship clubs are locked in talks, but with a £2m asking price. Sadly, it appears we are not one of those: Stoke City and Portsmouth are vying for his signature, although there could be late interest from Glasgow Rangers.

Graham is currently out in Hungary with the Dundee squad, despite being left out of a pre-season game against Livingston over the weekend. It’s been reported he was due to make a decision before the flights to Hungary, but that hasn’t happened. Pompey are believed to be in the driving seat, while Stoke are also credited with an interest.

Sadly, it seems as though our second summer target from Scotland has opted to ply his trade elsewhere, after Barney Stewart chose to move to West Brom. Given that Dundee now want a bare minimum of £2m plus add-ons, it’s not a huge surprise to see our names omitted from the speculation.

Graham came through at Dundee after starting out with St Johnstone, and has built his senior experience steadily through loans. He spent time with Lochee United, Albion Rovers and Montrose, where he was named both Young Player of the Year and Loanee of the Year after the 2023/24 season.

Dundee promoted him to their first-team squad in May 2024 and tied him down to a contract until 2027, before he made his competitive debut in the League Cup that summer and his league debut in a Dundee derby.

A loan move to Falkirk followed in September 2024, with Graham later recalled by Dundee before returning to the Bairns in February 2025. He started in the win over Hamilton Academical that secured Falkirk the Scottish Championship title and promotion, then returned to Dundee and became a regular in 2025/26, scoring his first goals for the club.

The 22-year-old has also moved into the Scotland Under-21 setup, making his debut in March 2025, and was one of four young players invited to train with the senior Scotland squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup finals.