QPR battling Sunderland to land 'ideal' transfer for ex Arsenal youngster

QPR are set to battle Premier League side Brentford in pursuing Leicester City academy forward Amani Richards this summer with the 19-year-old out of contract at the King Power Stadium.

The potential of a free transfer for the promising youngster is believed to have caught the interest of the Rs and the Bees according to the Evening Standard. Richards was born in London and is equally adept as a striker or on the right wing, having honed his trade as part of the Chelsea and Arsenal academy set ups before joining the Foxes.

It's a move that appears to make sense for Marti Cifuentes and QPR. The head coach has never quite settled on the best option up top between Sinclair Armstrong, Lyndon Dykes and Michael Frey with right winger Chris Willock out of contract at Loftus Road this summer. The acquisition of Richards could be ideal for the club.

Sunderland are also named as potential suitors, along with clubs in Germany, Belgium and Denmark, all tempted by the potential of being able to bring in the young talent without paying a transfer fee.

Richards won the Leicester City Academy Player of the Season Award in 2023 after bagging more than 20 goals in all competitions but has stalled on signing a new deal with a desire to break into first-team football - Leicester City have now confirmed promotion back to the Premier League which could put the teenager down the pecking order depending on summer arrivals.

QPR boss Cifuentes has remained relatively coy on summer transfer plans, making it clear that he would focus on celebrating Friday's win over Leeds United when asked about the months ahead after the match. It was put to the coach that such a purring performance against the Whites could aid any transfer moves.

He replied: "I said when I came here that when we win football games, which is not every weekend, we should celebrate. That's what I'm going to do, enjoy tonight's victory because it means a lot.

"If you ask me about the future, we will sit, analyse and be humble. It's easy to get carried away and there's a lot of work to be done in the future. I think we need to remain humble and understand there are a lot of things we can do better."