Exclusive: Portsmouth and Oxford United plotting move for ex-Middlesbrough player | OneFootball

Paddy McNair could return to the EFL this month, with a number of Championship sides interested in his services

Portsmouth and Oxford United are both struggling at the wrong end of the Championship table, and they are desperately seeking reinforcements to their squad.

Managerless United - who are expected to appoint former Luton Town boss Matt Bloomfield as Gary Rowett's successor in the near future - have already kicked off their mid-season business with the arrival of Tottenham attacker Jamie Donley on loan for the rest of the season, and they will hope that is the first of many signings until the February 2 deadline, as they currently sit 23rd in the Championship.

Pompey aren't that far ahead of the U's, as they sit just three points and two places above in 21st position, with John Mousinho's second season in the second tier of English football proving to be a struggle - and injuries aren't helping his cause.

Both clubs could do with some defensive bolstering for the rest of the season in a bid to stop leaking goals, and an experienced EFL centre-back has fallen upon their respective transfer radars.

Portsmouth and Oxford United interested in Paddy McNair loan swoop

Football League World can exclusively reveal that former Middlesbrough man Paddy McNair is a target for both Portsmouth and Oxford in the January transfer window, with a potential loan return to the EFL in the offing.

The 80-cap Northern Ireland international is currently plying his trade for MLS outfit San Diego FC, who he joined in the summer of 2024 as a free agent prior to their first ever season in 2025.

In their inaugural campaign, San Diego finished top of the Western Conference table, but were defeated by the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference play-off final - McNair played regularly enough when he was fit and available, racking up 25 appearances in the MLS and the play-offs in his first year on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Remaining a regular for Northern Ireland at the heart of their defence since his move to the States, 30-year-old McNair could now head back to the Championship, where he has been a regular over the years for a number of different clubs.

McNair has spent the majority of his time in the second tier of English football with Middlesbrough, racking up 198 appearances for the Teessiders over a six-year period before his contract expired in the summer of 2024, having spent time with Man United and Sunderland prior to his move to the Riverside Stadium.

With his contract at San Diego not expiring until December 2027, and the MLS season for 2026 not kicking off until March, McNair could now make a temporary return to England until the end of the season, with both Pompey and Oxford interested in making a deal happen.