Cardiff City facing double transfer exit fear involving Oxford United and Preston | OneFootball

Cardiff City duo Callum O'Dowda and Callum Robinson have both garnered Championship interest

Cardiff City could be poised to lose Republic of Ireland international duo Callum O'Dowda and Callum Robinson this summer following the club's relegation to League One, with the pair being eyed by former clubs Oxford United and Preston North End respectively.

As first reported by the Irish Examiner, Gary Rowett's side are interested in bringing O'Dowda back to his native Oxfordshire, while a return to Deepdale could also be on the cards for Robinson, who represents one of the more probable exits from the Welsh capital ahead of what promises to be a busy summer in terms of both incomings and outgoings.

There will likely be no shortage of activity and navigation for impending new boss Brian Barry-Murphy to undertake, with the Irishman lined up to take over as a long-awaited successor to Omer Riza after his dismissal all the way back in April.

Thus far, the off-season talk in and around Cardiff has been dominated by the club's managerial saga, but with controversial owner Vincent Tan having now all-but-sealed the appointment of Barry-Murphy, the Bluebirds' transfer cycle is now set to kick into gear.

Cardiff City's Callum O'Dowda and Callum Robinson wanted by Oxford United and Preston

As per the Irish Examiner's report, O'Dowda and Robinson have both garnered interest from former clubs following impressive individual campaigns despite suffering relegation to League One with Cardiff.

Last week, the Bluebirds confirmed a number of high-profile exits, with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Dimitros Goutas, Anwar El Ghazi and Yakou Meite all leaving the club upon the expiration of their contracts.

There could be further exits before long, however, and while Cardiff are eager to get Barry-Murphy in situ before sanctioning sales, chairman Mehmet Dalman previously revealed that the club will be thinning the squad ahead of the Bluebirds' first League One campaign in more than 20 years.

O'Dowda could be one of those heading out of South Wales in the coming weeks and months amid interest from boyhood club Oxford, where he started his career before earning a move to Bristol City in 2016.

The versatile 30-year-old wide-man featured on 42 occasions for Cardiff last season, a number of which were as captain, and he is no doubt a key player who the club will be looking to retain unless a strong offer arrives from the Kassam Stadium or elsewhere.

It has been separately reported via X by Darren Witcoop that O'Dowda also has interest from Hull City, who are looking to make a number of acquisitions after appointing new manager Sergej Jakirovic.

Robinson, meanwhile, finished the campaign as Cardiff's top scorer with 12 strikes, although the vast majority of those came before the turn of the year as both injury struggles and the explosive form of January arrival Yousef Salech saw him play a more limited role in the end-of-season run-in.

Also aged 30, the striker has had a mixed three years at Cardiff after joining from West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the 2022 summer transfer window.

A seasoned second-tier goalscorer, Robinson caught the eye in his debut campaign, which was prematurely curtailed by injury, and he struggled for both form and fitness under Erol Bulut in 23/24 before redeeming himself to post a productive term as Cardiff succumbed to relegation.

Robinson made a name for himself in the Championship with Preston, who are now reportedly interested in bringing him back to Lancashire some six years on from his exit to Sheffield United back in 2019, which was earned by a return of 31 goals from 117 outings.

Cardiff City have transfer security with Callum O'Dowda and Callum Robinson amid Oxford, Preston interest

Both O'Dowda and Robinson were among the clutch of senior players to have been nearing the end of their respective contracts earlier this year, although Cardiff acted quickly to tie the experienced pair down to fresh deals.

O'Dowda is now under contract until 2028, while Robinson put pen to paper on a new two-year deal.

Although it would be no surprise to see the duo - perhaps Robinson more so - angling for the exit door in order to remain in the Championship, Cardiff have put themselves in a strong position and are under no pressure to negotiate a sale that does not sit on their terms, and fairly-handsome fees will surely be required if either of the two are to be prized away.

You would imagine that they will both feel they have merited an opportunity to stay in the second-tier, while it's also little wonder that they have admirers in the division they were relegated from.