Cardiff City have tabled a £1.5million bid for Oxford United winger Gavin Whyte, Football Insider have reported.

Whyte only made the move to Oxford from Crusaders in his native Northern Ireland last summer, but the 23-year-old has already caught the eye during his time at the Kassam Stadium.

In 49 appearances in all competitions last season, Whyte scored nine goals and provided seven assists for Karl Robinson's side, helping them to a 12th place finish in League One.

Last season also saw Whyte break into the Northern Ireland senior side for the first time, earning five caps across the course of the campaign and scoring less than two minutes into his international debut, in a 3-0 friendly win over Israel in September last year.

Those performances now appear to have attracted attention further up the divisions, with Cardiff thought to have made their move for the winger.

The Bluebirds are looking to earn an immediate return to the Premier League next season, and manager Neil Warnock reportedly believes that Whyte has the ability and creativity to help them do that.

Cardiff have already signed one player from Oxford this summer, with defender Curtis Nelson joining the club on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at the Kassam Stadium following the end of last season.

Goalkeeper Joe Day, midfielder Will Vaulks and centre back Aden Flint have all also joined the Wales-based in the current transfer window.

The Verdict

This could be a really smart move from Cardiff.

Whyte has been really impressive since moving to English football with Oxford, and his performances certainly seem to suggest that he wouldn't be phased by the step up to the Championship.

Add to that the fact that Neil Warnock is a manager who has been around this game long enough to know a decent player when he sees one, and this certainly seems like a deal that could be worth pursuing for Cardiff.

With a reported fee of £1.5million, this also appears to be a deal that should be easily affordable for a club the size of Cardiff, particularly after a lucrative spell in the Premier League and the parachute payments their relegation will now bring with it, and there may be some clubs who regret not moving for Whyte first further down the line, should this deal go through.