Oxford United are edging closer to completing a deal to sign Portsmouth's Ellis Harrison ahead of the new league campaign, according to The News. 

Harrison is believed to have been attracting interest from Fleetwood Town as well, but is keen on a deal to sign for the U's instead, as they look to challenge for promotion into the Championship next season.

Harrison found regular minutes hard to come by with Portsmouth in the 2020/21 campaign, as he made 31 appearances in total, scoring six goals for the League One side, as they finished eighth in the third tier standings.

Oxford United are clearly keen to add depth to their attacking options, with it looking as though they're set to win the race to strike an agreement with Harrison this summer.

We take a look at this deal in more depth, and analyse whether this will be a good move for Oxford United and Harrison ahead of the new league campaign, which is set to get underway in August.

Is it a good potential move? 

This could turn out to be a smart move by Oxford, and it could be a deal that Portsmouth regret completing later down the line.

Harrison has shown that he can score goals in League One in the last few seasons, and he'll be hoping he can get back to his best with Oxford in the near future.

At the age of 27, he'll certainly feel as though he can still perform to a high standard at this level, and if he can hit the ground running in front of goal, then this will be an excellent signing for Karl Robinson's side.

The U's will be targeting promotion into the Championship once again, and if Harrison can play his part in doing just that, then we could even see Oxford beat Portsmouth in the race for promotion into the second tier of English football next season.

Would he start? 

He'll certainly fancy his chances of forcing his way into the Oxford starting XI at the earliest of opportunities.

Harrison isn't arriving as somewhat of a risky signing, as he's a player that has already shown he can score goals at this level, which will be pleasing to see for both Karl Robinson and the Kassam Stadium faithful this summer.

Oxford already have some strong options in attack, with the likes of Matty Taylor and Sam Winnall both still being with the U's heading into the new season.

Competition for places is never a bad dilemma for a manager, and Robinson will be hoping that Harrison can get the best out of himself and the other attacking options he already has at his disposal.

What does he offer? 

He offers both experience at this level, as well as an eye for goal, which he's shown in the last few seasons of his career whilst with Portsmouth.

With any potential signing, fans will be wanting to see a player make a positive start to life with their new club, and that won't be any different with Oxford United and Harrison.

He found regular minutes hard to come by this season, but still managed to score six goals. He netted ten goals and was on hand to provide four assists in the 2019/20 season for Pompey, which show that he can bring other players into the game when attacking, which will be pleasing to see.