Oxford United are seemingly set to beat Fleetwood Town to the signing of Portsmouth striker Ellis Harrison, as per a report by The News this morning. 

The 27-year-old is a player that Pompey boss Danny Cowley is looking to offload this summer as he looks to free up funds to bring in new players at Fratton Park, with the striker seemingly set to now move on.

Both Oxford and Fleetwood were said to be interested in the former Bristol Rovers man, however it appears that the player himself is more in favour of a move to the Kassam Stadium as opposed to moving further north to Highbury.

Harrison has yet to feature under Cowley due to sustaining a ligament injury in his knee and is said to be one of the club's highest earners at present.

The player endured a frustrating campaign all round for the South Coast club as he only found the net on six occasions across all competitions as Pompey once again missed out on promotion.

Originally born in Newport, Harrison's current contract with the club expires in the summer of next year, meaning that Oxford may well have to pay a fee for his services.

The Verdict 

This is a player that Pompey will be keen to offload this summer, with Harrison having fallen way short of their expectations over the last 12 months.

Things just didn't click for him throughout the 2020/21 campaign and as a result it appears that both parties feel that they should go their separate ways.

Getting the striker's wages off the books will be a big help for Cowley and co, whilst the club will be hoping that they can at least receive some sort of fee from Oxford as part of the deal.

After only scoring six times last season, I doubt many Pompey fans will lose sleep over this transfer.