Leeds United make '£5m approach' as QPR 'one step' from completing incoming transfer

The new Championship campaign is edging closer, with just one weekend of pre-season friendlies remaining ahead of next week’s big kick off. Millwall and QPR are both in action against Premier League opposition this weekend, and it will be a good measuring stick for both Neil Harris and Marti Cifuentes as they begin to lock in their ideal starting XIs.

Alongside those friendlies, Millwall, QPR and their Championship rivals will be working on new arrivals, with the summer window running up until the end of August. With that in mind, we have rounded up the latest news and transfer rumours from around the division.

Sara ‘battle’

Leeds United are being linked with a move for Norwich City midfielder Gabriel Sara. According to Mustafa Özgür Sancar via SportWitness, Galatasaray are pushing for a deal to sign Sara, but they are aware that Leeds have already made an enquiry over a possible £5m deal.

Sara scored 14 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions for Norwich last season, and it appears he is attracting plenty of interest this summer. Leeds are looking to replace Glen Kamara after cashing in on the Finland international after just one season.

Varane deal ‘close’

There is another update in QPR’s bid to land Sporting Gijon star Jonathan Varane. The Hoops have been locked in talks over the last couple of weeks as they look to snap up the midfielder.

Negotiations are now said to be in the advanced stages, with the clubs now just working on the bonuses involved in the deal, according to La Nueva España. Varane is said to be ‘waiting’ for the deal to be finalised, still training in Gijon for now, but the deal could move quickly heading towards the weekend.

Harris on pre-season preparations

Neil Harris has been speaking about Millwall’s trip to Murcia and their pre-season preparations in general. He told NewsAtDen: “It was a brilliant week, a really strong week for us. Two really good games against perfect opponents. Forest were excellent against us, I really enjoyed the game. And then Murcia caught us all by surprise with the physicality of it.

“The facility was outstanding and the togetherness in the group was very clear to see for staff and players. We got a lot of contact time with the players which is important for us. It was a break from here [Calmont Road], which is key. Pre-season is only a seven-week period but it is very intense and aggressive and hot at times so just to have that facility break was really important for us.”

Harris added on the match action so far: “It’s still pre-season and it’s still about players being fit, which is the main thing. Ultimately, this week is about continuing the extension of minutes. We saw in Spain that some players played 90 minutes and the majority of senior players played 70 minutes. So that’s a continuing thing this week with senior players playing extended minutes and get somewhere between 75 minutes and 95 minutes between the two games.

“And players that have had injuries get longer minutes and certainly someone like Shaun Hutchinson comes into that thinking. In regards to tactics, yes [we want] an element of step up in that. I’ve seen clear development and improvement in players as we go through not just the games but the training as well. And tactical understanding of what’s required is growing all the time.”