League One side Oxford United have reportedly added a current Premier League midfielder to their list of transfer targets, as they try to improve the squad before next week’s deadline.
Aaron Ramsey’s side are back in the third tier as a result of their relegation last season, and despite an early exit from the EFL Cup, the club are unbeaten in the league thus far.
Oxford were held to a two-all draw against MK Dons, following Ciaron Brown’s 95th minute equaliser before beating Stevenage at the weekend to rise into the play-off places.
However, it appears that the club are still trying to add to their squad before next week’s deadline, but any deals would be far from straightforward as things stand.
Oxford United eye move for Premier League midfielder
Despite a need for new faces, Oxford United face a major issue and that is the fact that they are currently under an EFL transfer embargo – which would stop them from signing and registering any further players.
The club have failed to comply with SCMP rule 9.1 which suggests that Oxford exceeded their permitted spending threshold, which is the likely reason why players such as Nik Prelec, Myles Peart-Harris and Przemyslaw Placheta have been moved on.
However, if the club can lift that embargo, Ramsey looks set to utilise his Welsh connections to try and land the likely loan signing of Coventry City midfielder Kai Andrews.
On Twitter (now X), an Oxford United supporter asked journalist Alan Nixon for an update regarding Andrews’ move to the club – to which he responded…
’Something in that.’
The 20-year-old is yet to feature or make the squad for Frank Lampard’s side this season, having returned to the club during the summer, following his loan spell with Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.
During his second stint in Scotland, Andrews scored his first career goal as his side beat Celtic 2-1 at Celtic Park, with his goal proving to be the late winner.
Is this a good move?
With Coventry now being in the Premier League, players like Andrews will have an even trickier task of breaking into the starting line-up, not to mention a 20-year-old who’s had two loan spells within the last two campaigns.
Andrews has made nine appearances in the Championship and is a Wales youth international, though has made Craig Bellamy’s international squad on several occasions and was handed his debut during a clash with Canada in September 2025.
The 20-year-old is under contract with the Sky Blues, and with Oxford’s current embargo, the likelihood is that Andrews will be loaned out by the Premier League side to them if a deal is agreed – rather than a permanent exit for the highly-rated midfielder.
Whilst being unproven in the EFL, Andrews had his fair share of bright moments during his loan spells with both Motherwell and Hibernian, with teammate Callum Perry also playing in the third tier with Cambridge United.
In terms of his stature, Andrews is a commanding central midfielder who is strong in-possession, likes to control the tempo of a game and isn’t shy at getting forward where possible, all factors that can positively improve Oxford United moving forward.
