Portsmouth and Oxford have pushed forward with their respective interest in signing former Sunderland midfielder Ethan Robson, according to Football Insider.

Upon leaving the Stadium of Light at the end of the 2019/20 season, the 23-year-old midfielder ended a 16-year stint at the club which saw him make a total of 14 first team appearances and 62 for the club's under-23 side.

Spending part of the 2019/20 season on loan with League Two side Grimsby Town, Robson is now a free agent and said to be gaining interest from a number of clubs.

With that previously reported interest, it has now been claimed by Football Insider that Portsmouth and Oxford are keen to make a summer move for Robson.

Both clubs narrowly missed out on promotion to the Championship earlier this month, having fallen in the play-offs, and both are now seemingly keen to bolster their respective squads ahead of next season.

It does seem strange that Sunderland allowed Robson to leave, thus presenting League One rivals Portsmouth and Oxford the chance to sign him. Those two clubs both finished ahead of the Black Cats in the hunt for play-off places in 2019/20.

All three teams will be expecting to produce a promotion push next season and it will be interesting to see who Robson opts to join - and whether he will make Sunderland rue their decision to let him leave.

Do you think Sunderland should make a move to re-sign Robson? Let us know in the comments section below...