QPR transfer interest in £427k 'outstanding' Ilias Chair replacement confirmed

QPR are set to be in the market for a winger this summer and an early target has emerged in Thibaud Verlinden. The 24-year-old currently plays for K Beerschot VA and the Rs are reportedly looking at a move for the star.

Belgian outlet Gazet van Antwerpen reports that Verlinden could be available for €500,000 (£427,000) and the player would come to Loftus Road with Championship experience under his belt. The winger started his career with Stoke City and also had a loan spell at Bolton Wanderers - he was hailed as 'outstanding' when making his Stoke debut by Nathan Jones.

It never quite happened for the midfielder in the Championship, managing just 13 first team appearances for Stoke. He left the Potters in January 2021 and went on to have spells in the Netherlands and Slovakia before returning to Belgium and joining Beerschot in 2022. He's picked up 11 goals and 17 assists in 63 appearances since then, helping the team to promotion from the second division this term.

The player is normally deployed on the left wing but is also capable on the right. At QPR, questions remain over the futures of Ilias Chair and Chris Willock next season, which could add weight to rumours of a move for the Belgian.

Speaking about Willock's expiring contract last month, Cifuentes said: "He knows how much we rate him, and I think he knows how much we like him.

"But what is going to happen in the future I don’t know. What is sure is that he showed today that he loves this club and that he wanted to play here and help us."

Meanwhile, Chair is still under contract at the club until next summer but was the subject of a bid from Trabzonspor earlier this year with some questions over whether he will still be at QPR next season.

When asked about the importance of Chair to his side after the 4-0 victory over Leeds United, Cifuentes said: "I think good players always show up in the key moments and he shows he's a top player for us. I'm very, very happy for his performance. There were a lot of good individual performances, so it would be unfair to just highlight Ilias, but definitely, he was really, really good."