"Desperate need" - Oxford United backed to complete controversial Reading FC transfer | OneFootball

FLW's Oxford United fan pundit has given his verdict on the potential signing of Reading midfielder Harvey Knibbs.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Oxford United are preparing for another year in the Championship after securing survival last season under Gary Rowett.

Oxford were in danger of making an immediate return to League One when Rowett replaced Des Buckingham in December, but the 51-year-old inspired an impressive upturn in form in the second half of the season, and his side finished the campaign in a respectable 17th place.

As Rowett rebuilds his squad, a number of senior players have departed the Kassam Stadium this summer, including Joe Bennett, Josh McEachran, Idris El Mizouni and Ruben Rodrigues, while the U's have brought in two new signings so far in defender Brodie Spencer and midfielder Brian De Keersmaecker, with the latter arriving for a club-record fee believed to be in excess of £1 million.

However, it seems Rowett is far from done in the transfer market, and according to RDG Today, Oxford are one of a number of Championship clubs monitoring Reading midfielder Harvey Knibbs, along with Portsmouth and Sheffield United.

Knibbs scored 14 goals and provided six assists in 47 appearances for the Royals last season as they narrowly missed out on the play-offs in League One, and while manager Noel Hunt admitted that there has been interest in the 26-year-old this summer, he warned that he will not be sold unless the bid is "good and worth it".

When asked for his thoughts on the potential signing of Knibbs, FLW's Oxford United fan pundit Luke Nigel admitted that the U's need to bring in a creative midfielder this summer, and he claimed that the Reading man would fit the bill perfectly.

"Harvey Knibbs would be a really good signing, in my opinion," Luke told FLW.

"We're in desperate need of a number 10 who can get goal contributions, and there are not many players with many goal contributions over back-to-back seasons in League One.

"The fee can be a little bit scary, but that is the pool we are now shopping in, and stylistically, I think he suits Gary Rowett's football quite well.

"Being 6'2", he's an all-round athlete with an eye for goal.

"We can see how versatile he is playing in the number 10, off the left and even in the eight at times.

"I know he hasn't played at Championship level, but he's had two very successful seasons in League One, and I think it's only a matter of time before we see him get a chance in the division above."

Oxford United could be set for Harvey Knibbs disappointment for two clear reasons

Knibbs has scored an impressive 32 goals and registered 12 assists in just 100 appearances for Reading in League One over the past two seasons, so he has certainly done enough to earn a move to the Championship.

However, Knibbs has built up a strong connection with Royals supporters during what has been a challenging period for the club, so he may be reluctant to damage that relationship by joining one of their main local rivals in Oxford.

With Sheffield United, who are now managed by Knibbs' former Reading manager Ruben Selles, also said to be interested in the midfielder, he may be tempted by the chance to reunite with the Spaniard at Bramall Lane, while the Blades would likely be able to offer him a more lucrative contract than the U's.