OXFORD United are today set to sign talented midfielder Adam Chapman from Sheffield United on a permanent basis.

Chapman, 19, who played 20 games for the U’s last season, joins for a fee of £15,000 dependent on the number of games played.

The deal includes a 50 per cent sell-on clause.

He will become the eighth player to sign for Chris Wil-der’s side on a permanent basis since last season.

Wilder, who used to play for the Blades, says the capture of the Northern Ireland Under 21 international, who won the U’s young player of the year award, is a real coup.

“I am absolutely delighted to get Adam, who we feel can improve with us and we will be a lot stronger with him among us,” said Wilder, who was always confident they could land Chapman, who is signing a two-year deal.

“We have signed a boy that came to us on loan and did very well, so Adam was always a big target.

“I spoke to him a lot and know how welcome he has been made to feel, not just the management, but by everyone here.

“He’s not daft and is a bright boy. He had two or three things he could have done, but he wanted to jump in and play regular football and make a name for himself. He always wanted to join us.”

Wilder added: “I watched Adam play quite a lot for Sheffield United Reserves and when I first took the job here, he was the first person I tried to get.

“He’s only 19, so he’s still got a lot to learn. But he wants to work hard and can score a goal or two, and he wants to get back to a level where he believes he should be playing.

“The chairman (Kelvin Thomas) has commented about our players being assets and it’s all tied-in with that. We didn’t bust the bank to get him. That’s why we have done an appearance-related deal, so it’s not the case of paying a fee of £15,000.

“There is a sell-on clause and we accept that. Sheffield have always been great over this and we had to wait until the play-offs had finished.

“They have seen how much he enjoyed it here and they have not stood in his way.

“That takes us up to 17 players and we probably need a few more in.

“There are other aspects we are working on, but the 17 is the bulk of the work being done.”