QPR nightmare if Marti Cifuentes tells Leicester City to sign 'amazing' player - opinion

Leicester City are edging close to appointing former QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes as their new manager following the sacking of Ruud van Nistelrooy last month.

That’s set to be an immediate boost for the R’s, who are due compensation from Cifuentes’ next club, but it could also come with some transfer fear. The 43-year-old proved while at Loftus Road that he has a penchant for signing former players and it would not be a surprise to see the Foxes come knocking at QPR.

It remains to be seen whether that happens but, if it does, one likely target for Leicester City could be rising star Rayan Kolli. It would be nothing short of a nightmare for QPR to lose the 20-year-old forward.

Marti Cifuentes big fan of QPR rising star

Cifuentes is known to be a fan of the player, whose rise to the first team happened under his guidance. Kolli scored four Championship goals last term, winning nine points for the side from those strikes.

Kolli’s first strikes came in a brace against Norwich City at the start of December before striking again against Preston North End later that month. His fourth was a finish against Plymouth Argyle in January, securing a 1-0 win.

Speaking after that victory, Cifuentes said: “What a week for him. It’s important he keeps humble and keeps working, but it’s definitely well deserved. He had an amazing impact on the game and that’s a luxury problem for me to have - to be able to pick from Rayan, Michi [Frey] and Alfie [Lloyd].

“These are problems that you want to have. The important thing is that everyone is contributing. There were a lot of good performances, like how the backline managed the last minutes when they were under pressure. When you don’t score the second or third goal, these situations happen."

European clubs previously linked with Rayan Kolli

Kolli is a player who Leicester City will be aware of too. Just before that Plymouth Argyle game, he was a standout in the 6-2 defeat to the Foxes in the FA Cup, grabbing a goal and assist in that match. Leicester City have already seen Jamie Vardy leave as a free agent this summer, opening a path for new blood up top.

The striker isn’t a player who QPR can really afford to lose. The team were short of goals at times last term with Michael Frey injury prone and Zan Celar misfiring. To lose Kolli’s goals would be a big miss.

Unfortunately, it could just be a matter of time before the club chooses to cash in on the rising talent with interest growing. Even before any potential Leicester City move, Foot Mercato claimed in April that AS Monaco, Lille and Al-Hilal are all monitoring the player.

In other news, QPR given 'forgotten' Chelsea transfer gift by Marti Cifuentes - opinion.