Oxford United are trying to sign the experienced former Portsmouth centre forward Lee Bradbury.

Graham RixIf they pull it off, it would be the most high-profile name Graham Rix has captured since he was appointed manager in March.

Once again, Rix has gone back to a player he knows. Bradbury played under him at Fratton Park in the 2001-2 season.

I understand that the 28-year-old striker, who lives at Fareham, was at the Kassam Stadium for talks last week.

His big wages would be a stumbling block as he is likely to want in the region of £2,000 a week, which would put him way above most of the other United players.

Bradbury, who went from Portsmouth to Manchester City for £3m in 1997, has a wealth of experience and is strong in the air.

It's hard to see how he would be able to play with Julian Alsop, who is a similarly strong and powerful player, but a front-line partnership of Bradbury and Steve Basham would surely be a potent one in Division 3.

Portsmouth bought him out of the Army and he soon became a big success, scoring 15 goals in his first season to earn a big-money move to Maine Road.

He proved something of a flop at Manchester City, scoring just 11 times in 41 games.

But Crystal Palace paid £1.5m for him in October 1998 and he struck eight goals for the Eagles in 32 starts.

After being loaned out to Birmingham City, Bradbury returned to Portsmouth in a £300,000 deal in October 1999 and he remained there until the transfer window in March when he joined Walsall in a bid to keep them in Division 1.

The Saddlers took over his contract until the end of the season, but he was unable to save them from going down. Walsall released him last month.