Ramon Diaz says he wants to stay at Oxford United next season - and the season after that.

The U's boss (above) has responded to speculation that he and his Argentine management team may not remain at the Kassam Stadium if the club fail to reach the play-offs by insisting he's here for the long haul - if it's possible.

Along with his assistant, Jean-Marc Goiran, he is working on a financial package which would make it feasible, and is understood to have been in talks with potential backers.

They are set to put their proposals to club chairman Firoz Kassam soon.

United fans have been concerned that the team brought in by Kassam in December may leave in the summer, especially with the play-off chances now looking slim.

And Kassam admitted in the Oxford Mail yesterday that he was unsure whether he could afford to keep them.

Diaz said: "We are now talking with the chairman about the club and the future.

"There are a lot of possibilities, but we want to stay and there is a lot of work to do here, a lot we have seen in three months.

"We are still very ambitious about the project and will present something to the chairman to see what he thinks.

"We also want to have a meeting with the fans. But we want to stay and I think the chairman wants us to stay.

"We now know the players better, the league better, there are a lot of things we have learned. We know exactly what we have to do."

Speaking through translator Goiran, he said: "Part of the discussions are financial, of course, and of how we can manage the budget, but they cover everything.

"We have an idea of the players, training ground, organisation and structure that we need to take this club upwards. It is a big project."

Asked how he could afford it all, he replied: "We are looking for partners, sponsors who will help us."

Goiran expanded on this by admitting that the potential backers are people "in this country who are involved in football".

Meanwhile, Diaz says he still has hope that the team can finish in the top seven this season.

"The play-offs are still within our reach," he said. "We must all keep believing we will make it until it's mathematically impossible.

"There are 12 games to go and we are nine points behind Northampton.

"In this league everything is possible, everybody beats each other and there are a lot of surprises."