Jake Wright is one of the Oxford United players who have opened contract talks this week – and the captain has made it clear he would love to stay.

The defender, who is approaching 250 appearances for the club, is the highest-profile player in the senior squad whose deal expires this summer.

Wright has been the captain for four years, but with United suspending all contract talks until they were safe from relegation, his future is up in the air.

Discussions have now started and if the 29-year-old had his way, there is only one place he wants to play next season.

  •  United

“We’ve been speaking to the club and I’ve made it clear I like it here,”

he said.

“I still think I’ve got unfinished business here. I want to be promoted.

“I love being captain here, I get on with the lads and the staff.

“It’s a massive club which shouldn’t be in this league and I think with all the changes with the board and the gaffer, it’s going to be a positive club next year.”

He added: “I’ve had opportunities to leave, I could have left this year or last year, but I’ve never said I wanted to leave.”

For most of Wright’s stay at United he has been tied down to a lengthy deal.

The former Bradford City trainee insists there are no problems with being made to wait and it would have been wrong to receive special treatment.

He said: “No, because I’m the same as everyone else.

“The gaffer said first and foremost we need to get to safety and then we can start discussing with people.

“That’s the right thing to do, you can’t hand contracts out when you don’t know what league you’re going to be in.

“Everyone is in the same situation, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a young lad or the captain.”

Wright is one of only two surviving members, with Ryan Clarke, from United’s 2010 Conference play-offwinning side.

And the centre back admits it would be a blow to leave the club without earning a second promotion.

He said: “It would be a personal failure because I think we should’ve done.

“I think next year we’re going into a season set up perfectly.

“I don’t think we’ve ever been in that situation where we’re in a really good position already for next year.”