Oxford United are looking to capitalise upon Louie Sibley’s free agent status and strike a deal following his exit from Derby County.

Liam Manning’s side secured a long-awaited promotion from the third-tier of English football by defeating Bolton Wanderers in May’s crunch play-off final.

Despite losing Wembley hero Josh Murphy to fellow Championship newcomers Portsmouth on a free transfer, Oxford have been proactive in making additions to their squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

However, it likely goes without saying that further arrivals are necessary if Oxford are to avoid making an immediate return to League One, and their business over the coming weeks will surely have a big say in that.

That said, the U’s ongoing pursuit of Louie Sibley could offer a major boost to their eventual survival hopes.

Oxford United interested in Louie Sibley following Derby County exit

According to a recent report from Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Oxford are currently winning the race to strike a free transfer deal for Louie Sibley.

The 22-year-old is now a free agent after rejecting Derby’s offering of a fresh contract upon their own return to the Championship, which they secured with a second-place finish under Paul Warne last term.

A number of undisclosed suitors – likely to be in the Championship or League One – are all reportedly interested in taking advantage of Sibley’s free agent status and sealing a deal, but Oxford appear to be in pole position to land his much-coveted signature as things stand.

Rotherham United were reportedly keen on Sibley back in May, as per Darren Witcoop, but they are likely going to be gazumped by Championship opposition for his services.

Ex-Derby County midfielder Louie Sibley would be an excellent signing for Oxford United

If Oxford can pull this one off, Sibley would be a major plus point towards any ambitions they have of not only remaining as a Championship outfit come next May, but also of sustaining themselves in the division for years to come.

He’s been inconsistent throughout his career, but at 22, he’s only bound to improve and that’s a challenge that Manning will relish, having also overseen wholesale upturns in the fortunes of players such as Murphy and Mark Harris at the Kassam Stadium.

Sibley was held in incredibly high regard after breaking through to the Derby first-team following his exploits for the club’s esteemed youth setup, and for good reason too.

There’s plenty of potential to be tapped into, but in the here and now, Sibley provides superb positional flexibility that invariably comes up trumps across the unforgiving marathon of a 46-game Championship campaign.

Initially an attacking midfielder, Sibley spent a lot of last season playing as a left-wing back and Oxford could well find themselves needing to take full advantage of that versatility as the season goes on.

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Another facet that goes in Sibley’s favour is his remarkable accumulation of experience at a young age, having made over 170 appearances for Derby – and 67 of those came in the Championship.