It’s no real surprise that once again, we’re discussing the future of Aaron Morley during the transfer window, as the midfielder is out of favour at Bolton Wanderers, which begs the question of whether Wycombe Wanderers will pounce to try and bring him back to Adams Park.

The Chairboys’ interest has already been well documented over the last six months. Pete O’Rourke revealed on deadline day in the summer that Wanderers had a bid turned down by their League One rivals, and James Richings later revealed that their interest has continued into the January transfer window.

However, it’s been nearly three weeks since the window opened, and whilst much of the talk surrounding the Wycombe vs Bolton fixture in late December centred around a potential move back to Buckinghamshire for Morley, there is no real evidence to suggest that any sort of progress has been made on a deal.

Now, Football League World have reported that Oxford United, who are now managed by the man who brought the midfielder to Wycombe originally, Matt Bloomfield, have joined the Blues and Luton Town in the race to secure his services this winter.

The U’s have already signed two midfielders in Yunus Konak and Jamie McDonnell so far, and are still reportedly pursuing Charlie Savage from Reading. With that in mind, game time at the Kassam Stadium for Morley would likely be even harder to come by than it currently is at Bolton, should he join Wycombe’s Thames Valley neighbours.

However, there are plenty of factors as to why Oxford does seem like an ideal destination for the 25-year-old. The reunion with Bloomfield whom he played his best football under will be the most obvious one, coupled with the location being ideal should he be keen to relocate back to the South East.

It’s also worth considering that Bolton won’t want to strengthen a play-off rival mid-season. Wycombe post a very real threat to the Lancashire club, sitting just six points and four places behind them, and with Steven Schumacher’s side often struggling for consistency, the Chairboys could very easily catch up and overtake the Trotters.

Given how successful Morley was at Wycombe last season, it’s unlikely Bolton would allow him to join a play-off rival, unless the fee involved was crazy, or the player became disruptive to force the move, which is very unlikely to happen.

The same can be said for Luton, who are also said to be interested in signing the ex-Rochdale star. The Hatters are even closer to Bolton in the league table, and will pose arguably even more of a threat than Wycombe will, given they have a far better squad at their disposal than the Chairboys do.

That leaves Oxford as the ideal destination for all parties should their interest materialise into a bid. Bolton don’t have to worry about selling to the U’s as they’re in the Championship, whilst Morley gets to reunite with a manager that brought the very best out of him. This would be an ideal scenario for the selling club, who could cash in on an out-of-favour player, and face little threat of the decision coming back to bite them this season.

With that in mind, is it finally time that Wycombe move on from the Morley saga?

Well the short answer really is yes. Bolton are clearly playing hardball when it comes to a sale, which you can understand, given the immediate threat that Michael Duff’s side pose to them. Whilst the player may well be keen to come back to Adams Park, unfortunately the final say lies with his current club, and if they don’t wish to strengthen a rival, then there’s nothing that can be done.

A deal could be done for an inflated fee, but Duff has already said that Wycombe won’t pay over the odds for a player. The Chairboys have already learned from their mistakes last January, and whilst he’s proven at League One level, it simply isn’t worth overpaying for a player, and risk getting the short end of the straw, particularly with a divisional rival.

Wycombe have always had a fascination with re-signing former players, and whilst is has worked out at times, you can’t help but feel this the risks this particular deal outweigh the positives when it comes to big fees being involved.

There are plenty of players out there who can fill the role that Morley occupied who will be available for a fraction of the price, we just have to find the right one. That’s why we have to be patient, trust the recruitment staff and their strategy, and see what the final week of the transfer window brings us.