Derby County and Portsmouth join race for Oxford United star | OneFootball

According to Talksport, the promoted duo have both set their sights on signing the 29-year-old in the upcoming transfer market.

Murphy played a key role in helping the U’s gain promotion to the Championship, scoring both goals at Wembley Stadium in their 2-0 play-off final win over Bolton Wanderers.

The winger also contributed six goals and four assists during the regular season, as Des Buckingham’s side finished fifth in the third division table (all stats from Fbref).

However, Murphy’s contract is set to expire next month, meaning he could walk away from the Kassam Stadium for nothing.

Derby and Portsmouth’s Josh Murphy interest

The Rams and Pompey are both preparing for life back in the Championship after gaining automatic promotion from League One.

Murphy has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for both sides ahead of their second tier return.

Both clubs will be hoping to make additions that can help them compete in the Championship straight away.

However, they face competition from the likes of West Brom, Southampton and Sunderland, among others, in the race for the player’s signature.

As many as five Championship clubs have already been linked with an interest in the Oxford United forward.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Murphy, but Buckingham has confirmed that the newly-promoted team will do everything they can to persuade him to stay.

“I may have had a chat with him when we were up on the gantry lifting the trophy,” said the 39-year-old, via the Oxford Mail.

“We’ll do as much as we can to try and keep Josh here.

“He’s a wonderful person, a very good player, and he suits the way we want to do things.

“We’ll do as much as we can and see where that takes us.”

Oxford United’s promotion glory

Buckingham led the club to a fifth place finish in the League One regular season, earning them a shot at promotion through the play-offs.

A 2-1 aggregate win over Peterborough United in the semi-finals saw the U’s face Bolton in the capital, where a first-half brace from Murphy sealed victory.

Oxford United will be competing in the second tier of English football for the first time since 1999 following the win.

However, it remains to be seen whether this promotion will be enough to convince Murphy to remain with the club going into the summer transfer window.

Josh Murphy has a big decision ahead

Murphy now has seven Championship sides courting his signature this summer, as well as Oxford United themselves wanting to keep him.

This puts him in a strong negotiating position, and allows him to play the clubs off each other to try and get the best financial offer.

But he will also surely be interested in guaranteeing himself playing time in the second division next season.

In that context, perhaps staying with the club he helped gain promotion would be his safest option, especially after the role he played in the play-off final.