Oxford United set to sign Rangers' Ben Davies ahead of QPR and Birmingham City | OneFootball

Oxford United are set to pull off a transfer coup with Ben Davies, ahead of the likes of QPR and Birmingham City.

Oxford United are poised to land Rangers defender Ben Davies on loan, beating Championship rivals QPR and Birmingham City.

Davies spent last season on loan at Blues where he appeared 35 times in the third tier, helping the club win the title with a record-breaking 111 points.

The left-sided centre-back has made over 150 appearances in the Championship during spells with Preston North End and Sheffield United.

Gary Rowett's Oxford have not kept a clean sheet in their first two league games of 25/26, with Michael Helik and Elliott Moore being the preferred pairing at the back.

Oxford United edge ahead in transfer race for Ben Davies

Rangers boss Russell Martin has made it clear that Davies is not part of his long-term plans at Ibrox, as the defender is yet to feature in any competitive matches this season - opening the door for Oxford to make their move.

As per Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, the U's are expected to bring the Rangers ace to the Kassam Stadium today.

Both Oxford and QPR had registered their interest in the 30-year-old, according to Football Insider, with the outlet also reporting that Blues themselves were close to agreeing a £750k deal around a month ago.

Rangers paid Liverpool an initial £3m for Davies in 2022, but he has struggled to establish himself as a regular in Glasgow past his first season.

QPR miss out despite ambitious summer

QPR's failure to land Davies will surely be a huge setback for the West London club, who have been very active in the transfer market under new manager Julien Stephan.

The R's have made several key signings in forward areas this summer, including Kwame Poku from Peterborough United and Richard Kone from Wycombe Wanderers.

But they've only brought in Amadou Mbenge from Reading, who can play at centre-half, and he was even shifted out to play on the left in their 2-1 defeat to Watford. 34-year-old Steve Cooke and Liam Morrison were the two to play in the middle.

For Oxford, the loan deal is obviously good value, and it allows them to secure the services of a proven Championship defender without spending heavily.

Davies will be the fourth loan signing of the window under Rowett, and the sixth new player overall. They've only spent fees on Brodie Spencer and Brian De Keersmaecker.

Having survived their first season back in the second-tier, placing 20th, the U's will surely be hoping that Davies' arrival could help them push further up the table this term.