QPR set to complete double signing
QPR are today expected to confirm the signing of Asmir Begovic.
The vastly experienced goalkeeper, 36, is a free agent after recently leaving Everton.
Rangers are also expected to complete the signing of midfielder Lewis Wing on a free transfer.
Begovic’s contract at Goodison Park expired this summer and he rejected the offer of a new deal.
The Bosnian has spent most of his career in England and had a two-year spell at Chelsea.
He left Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2017 to join Bournemouth, where he spent four years before moving to Everton.
Begovic has also played for Portsmouth and Stoke, and in 2020 he had a spell on loan at AC Milan.
He is being signed as a replacement for Seny Dieng, who was recently sold to Middlesbrough.
Wing is also a free agent, having left Wycombe, where he played under R’s boss Gareth Ainsworth.
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Gareth Ainsworth addresses Ilias Chair’s QPR situation as speculation lingers
Ilias Chair has been linked with a move away from QPR this summer
Gareth Ainsworth has given an update on Ilias Chair’s transfer status at QPR.
Speculation has surrounded the talisman this summer after the club’s disappointing campaign.
The London club struggled in a relegation battle last year, only securing a 20th place finish in the Championship table.
Chair was the standout figure for QPR last season, contributing five goals and nine assists as he played a crucial role in the team remaining in the top division.
Does Ilias Chair have a future at QPR?
Leicester City were linked with a move for the Moroccan playmaker earlier this summer.
No move has yet materialised, but that has not stopped speculation surrounding his future.
Chair missed QPR’s pre-season friendly on Saturday against Vorwarts Steyr in Austria.
This raised even more doubts over his future at the club, but the Championship side’s manager was quick to dispel any of those concerns after their 2-1 victory.
Ainsworth clarified that Chair’s absence was due to an injury to his ankle that he suffered in recent days.
The 50-year-old denied that the QPR star has already been sold.
“Ilias rolled his ankle in training the other day,” said Ainsworth, via QPR’s Twitter account.
“Conspiracy theorists will be saying that Ilias Chair’s been sold.
“He’s here. Here’s not [been sold].
“We didn’t risk him.”
Chair featured 40 times in the Championship last season, further cementing himself as a key figure in the team.
The 25-year-old has been with the club since 2017, signing from Belgian side Lierse at the age of just 19.
He has made 169 appearances in the league since making the switch, contributing 26 goals and 25 assists in that time.
Chair represented Morocco in the World Cup last year as the country became the first from the continent of Africa to reach the semi-final stages in the tournament’s entire history.
This has raised the profile of several players in the team, with Chair’s performances in the Championship also catching the eye of scouts.
Leicester suffered relegation from the Premier League last season and are now out for a replacement to James Maddison.
Chair could prove an ideal transfer target for the Foxes, so there may still be speculation to come in the next few weeks over his future as teams continue their preparation for the latest campaign.
QPR’s season gets underway on 5 August with a trip to face Watford at Vicarage Road.
Should QPR cash-in on the transfer interest in Ilias Chair?
It would have to take a significant fee for QPR to be able to consider Chair’s departure.
The forward has been so important to the team in the last few seasons that his exit would be a real blow to the club.
Chair still has a contract until the summer of 2025, meaning they should be in no rush to cash-in on him just yet.
If someone does arrive with a huge offer, then that will prove to turn down.
And the club’s strong negotiating position should see them able to push for that kind of fee.
