Left-back Greg Leigh has completed his permanent move to Oxford United, signing a two-year deal.
The switch, for an officially undisclosed fee, had been expected following the Blues’ recruitment of Brandon Williams from Manchester United.
"It’s exciting,” Leigh told Oxford’s official website. "I’ve played against Oxford a few times now and they are always really good on the ball and looking to get on the front foot.
"I met with Liam Manning and he talked me through where the club sees itself not just this year but in the future, and that really sold it to me. I can’t wait to be involved.”
Oxford boss and former Town academy midfielder and coach Manning added: "Greg is a really accomplished left-back and a terrific character. He brings that balance down the left, has had success at this level and knows the division.
"With Ciaron Brown doing so well there we now have serious competition in that position, which will be another big positive for us.”
Ed Waldron, the U’s head of recruitment, continued: "Greg has power, a natural physicality to his game and is someone we identified a while back.
"He likes to get forward, but he also understands the defensive side of playing at left-back. He has such a positive personality and we are really happy to have got the deal done.”
Leigh joined Town in the summer of 2022 after leaving Morecambe and was an important and popular member of the squad, but with his league starts limited to only four due to the form of Leif Davis.
In addition to those four League One starts, Leigh made 12 sub appearances and six cup starts, scoring one goal.
Meanwhile, former Blues loanee Tyreece John-Jules is reportedly close to joining League One Derby County on loan from parent club Arsenal.