According to Football League World, Oxford United will ‘fancy their chances’ of keeping hold of goalkeeper Jack Stevens next season, if they manage to gain promotion to the Championship.
The shot stopper has been attracting attention from the league above with Middlesbrough keen to bolster their goalkeeping options. Currently they have Fulham loanee Marcus Bettinelli between the sticks, but the England U21 international has hardly impressed during his temporary spell at the Riverside.
Bettinelli is out of contract at Craven Cottage in the summer, but it is unlikely Middlesbrough will make a move for the 28-year-old. Boro will turn their attention to other targets and have identified Stevens as a potential replacement.
Oxford United boss Karl Robinson has expressed his opinion on the transfer rumour linking the youngster to the North-East club, saying that he is hopeful Stevens will stay next season.
According to the report, a huge factor in whether the U’s can keep hold of the goalkeeper will be whether they are playing their football in League One or in the Championship.
With five games left to play Oxford United find themselves in seventh place and three points outside of the play-offs. If they are to make the jump up to the second tier they will want to keep their best players in the hope of succeeding in the division above.
But if they remain a League One side, Stevens could depart the club for pastures new with the opportunity of playing in the Championship too good to miss.
