Oxford United are interested in Slovenian attacker Nik Prelec, but will have to beat at least one other side to his signature.
Gary Rowett’s side are in need of new attacking talent this window after losing both Ruben Rodrigues and Idris El Mizouni on free transfers this summer. The U’s only have last season’s joint-top scorer in Mark Harris and Tom Bradshaw as senior attackers, with the untested Gatlin O’Donkor returning from his loan from Bristol Rovers.
European Option Identified
According to German transfer expert Florian Plettenberg, Oxford have concrete interest in Slovenian attacker Nik Prelec of Italian side Cagliari. The 24-year-old spent last season on loan at Austria Wien, who finished third in the Bundesliga, three points behind champions Sturm Graz. He played 38 times in purple, scoring nine goals and helped in their Conference League campaign.
Joining Cagliari from WSG Tirol in 2023, Prelec has struggled to make an impact in Sardinia, ending up on loan in Austria twice. However, Oxford are not alone in their interest with several other teams monitoring the former youth international, with only German 2. Bundesliga side 1. FC Magdeburg named in the report alongside the Kassam Stadium club.
Manager Gary Rowett has expressed his desire to complete more signings over the next fortnight, telling the Oxford Mail:
“We’re still hopeful of getting another two or three bodies in within the next week or so, but again, unless you’re going to go and blow teams out of the water, which we’re clearly not going to do, then at the end of the day, you’ve got to be quite sensible in your approach.
“Indonesia has unfortunately cost us some players [through injury], so we’re going to need a little bit of help to replace those players and replace that quality.”
Writers’ View
Oxford do need some new forward options after a disappointing last season in front of goal. Mark Harris was matched by full-back Greg Leigh as the top scorer in the Championship, highlighting a serious concern of where goals will come from should the Welshman fall to injury. Nik Prelec is an interesting choice as he has not been very prolific during his career, but can be a promising option for The U’s. Having been very successful in Austria, the 24-year-old may opt to remain in the country should one of their clubs swoop in for a deal with Cagliari.
