The chances of QPR hanging onto Nakhi Wells appear to be shortening as another big club from the Championship looks to have joined the race in Nottingham Forest.
According to reports from Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas, Forest have begun talks with Burnley over signing the 29-year-old on a permanent transfer, which would obviously mean the end of Wells’ time in west London.
So far in the Championship this season, the Bermudian is averaging a goal every two games (13 from 26), making him the club’s top scorer. Unsurprisingly, teams have kept tabs on the player – whose contract expires in 6 months time (though Burnley have the option of an extra year) – as his parent club have no interest in playing him in the future and would like to cash in on him if an offer big enough comes in, claim West London Sport.
This leaves Rangers in a bit of a sticky situation: they have a player who they cannot control the future of, and he could leave right before the transfer deadline, leaving them with little time to source a replacement.
Will we be able to keep hold of Wells this window?
Yes
No
Allegedly, according to West London Sport, Wells has told the club that he wants to stay at Loftus Road, but it’s not that simple.
Rangers had planned on trying to snap up the player on a permanent basis from Burnley, however, they face restrictions from Financial Fair Play and a big enough bid from another club could well see Mark Warburton’s side be priced out.
It’s not clear exactly how much Wells would cost and also how much the R’s can afford to spend without breaching regulations, however, they will be fearful that with promotion chasers Bristol City and Nottingham Forest knocking at the door, they could be dangerously close to seeing the end of Wells in blue and white hoops.
Given the FFP situation, that could also make things tricky for the club to source a replacement that isn’t a loan. Lawrence Shankland has been linked (Daily Record), but again, whether they could afford him without spending too much is a whole different matter.
