QPR winning transfer race seems vital amid potential Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City developments: View | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City have both been linked with QPR strikers

Highlights

QPR have already started to get some of their business done in the summer transfer window in what could be a new-look side come August 30.

The West London outfit will be looking to put together a squad capable of climbing up the Championship table, following their great escape from relegation at the end of last season.

Goalkeeper Paul Nardi, centre-back Liam Morrison and right-back Hevertton Santos have all already completed permanent moves to Loftus Road since the market opened.

There is still work to do for the R's though before the window closes, if they are to give manager Marti Cifuentes everything he needs for the coming campaign.

Now it seems as though they are indeed closing in on their fourth signing of the window, in apparently impressive fashion.

Zan Celar set for QPR transfer after deal agreed with Lugano

According to a recent report from Football Insider, QPR are closing in on the signing of striker Zan Celar from Swiss side Lugano.

It is thought that the Slovenian international is set to undergo a medical ahead of a move to Loftus Road, having agreed a deal with the R's.

The deal is apparently seen as something of a coup for the club, given the level of interest there is in the striker, both from at home and abroad, with Hull City one of the clubs that were keen on bringing Celar to England.

Celar is due to join after scoring 51 goals in 115 appearances in all competitions for Lugano during a three-year spell with the club.

In this case, it could be argued that it is also a vital deal for QPR to get done, given the situation with some of their other striking options.

Blackburn Rovers and Bristol City pursuits of Lyndon Dykes & Sinclair Armstrong make QPR, Zan Celar deal important

While Cifuentes looks to be close to adding one striker to his side in the form of Celar, it seems at least one - if not more - could depart in the coming weeks.

After days of speculation, it was reported on Thursday morning that one of the R's Championship rivals, Bristol City, are set to sign Sinclair Armstrong, with Stoke City, Birmingham and Sunderland fended off to sign the Ireland international.

Meanwhile, another Championship side, Blackburn Rovers, are being credited with an interest in another QPR striker in the form of Lyndon Dykes, although a deal is up in the air due to the Ewood Park outfit's transfer budget constraints.

As a result, speculation around the potential departures of those two strikers does seem to add to the importance of securing a deal to bring Celar to Loftus Road for Cifuentes and co.

Any side is obviously going to need outlets to lead the line in attack, where goals are of course vital.

With the signing of the Slovenian international, they are securing an option in attack who can help fill the void that looks as though it will be left by Armstrong - and potentially by Dykes as well.

Given the duo look as is they will be joining other Championship teams if they do depart QPR, the fact there was apparently interest from elsewhere in England in Celar adds to the significance here.

If, amid the departures of Armstrong and potentially Dykes strengthening two of their rivals, they had also lost out on Celar to another Championship side, it would have put them under major pressure.

Indeed, Hull City were among those to be linked with the 25-year-old earlier in the summer transfer window.

There would likely have been questions in that scenario, about whether QPR would have the depth required to lead the line this season, and who they could source as an alternative for that role.

That may have been further enhanced by the fact that other striking options such as Paul Smyth and Michael Frey were not exactly prolific in front of goal last season, with the latter suffering an injury too in his couple of months of the campaign he was at the club for.

Between them, the pair managed just four goals in 53 Championship appearances for QPR over the course of the 2023/24 campaign.

Indeed, with clubs also aware of that need QPR may have had for a striker without the signing of Celar, the fees demanded for such a valuable deal may have increased.

In turn, that would likely have made it even harder for the R's to get what would be an all-important signing over the line.