Exclusive: Lincoln City eyeing QPR transfer raid after Coventry City blow | OneFootball

Lincoln City are lining up a loan move for QPR striker Alfie Lloyd amid Justin Obikwu's switch to Loftus Road, Football League World understands

League One promotion hopefuls Lincoln City are on the hunt for additional firepower in the latter stages of the January transfer window as Michael Skubala bids to take the Imps into the Championship for the 2026/27 campaign.

Lincoln have come on leaps and bounds following last season's 11th-placed finish, with the LNER Stadium outfit currently positioned in second place amid a nine-match unbeaten league run, which has included victories over Barnsley, Stockport County and Cardiff City.

The Imps are six points shy of top-of-the-table Cardiff, whom they defeated 2-1 at home last month, and boast a three-point advantage over Bradford City in third, although they spurned a golden opportunity to narrow the gap from the Bluebirds by surrendering a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at Luton Town on Saturday afternoon.

Nonetheless, there is growing confidence that Lincoln could well be a Championship team next term, albeit with fresh firepower required first in what remains of this month's mid-season window.

With striker Justin Obikwu having seen his loan from Coventry City terminated in order to facilitate a permanent move to QPR for a reported £500,000 figure, Lincoln are now on the hunt for new options in Skubala's forward line and have set their sights on a Loftus Road raid.

Lincoln City eyeing QPR, Alfie Lloyd transfer raid after Coventry City blow

Following Obikwu's sudden departure over the weekend, Football League World can exclusively reveal that Lincoln are looking to acquire Alfie Lloyd from QPR after his own loan stint with League One rivals Leyton Orient recently came to an end.

FLW understands that Lincoln have entered talks with Lloyd ahead of a potential switch for the remainder of the campaign, with the proposed terms being a loan move as QPR could end up lending the forward to Lincoln after agreeing a deal for Obikwu.

The 22-year-old was recalled by QPR amid something of an injury crisis for Julien Stephan, who has recently lost top scorer Rumarn Burrell for an extended period, but it appears as though a fresh temporary exit from West London is being lined up for Lloyd and Lincoln are looking to swoop.

A graduate of the Yeovil Town academy, Lloyd moved to QPR in 2022 and has made 31 appearances for the Hoops, including 27 - albeit just four starts - in the Championship last season, scoring twice.

Lloyd endured a mixed stint at Orient, where he struggled for fitness and regular minutes by starting only one of his eight goalless League One outings under Richie Wellens and found himself behind the likes of Aaron Connolly and 15-goal star Dom Ballard in the pecking order.

Lincoln City need to bolster attacking options amid QPR, Alfie Lloyd transfer interest

It's clear that Lincoln need to bolster their attacking options and get more contributions out of what's already at Skubala's disposal, with fellow automatic promotion hopefuls in Bradford and Stockport breathing down their necks.

Lincoln do rank third for goals per match in League One with an average of 1.60, but an overall xG of 34.4 ranks considerably lower and only Reeco Hackett (6) and striker Freddie Draper (5) have found the back of the net on five or more occasions in divisional action.

With the likes of Cardiff and Stockport having prolific striking options such as Yousef Salech and Kyle Wootton respectively, it's an area where Lincoln must seek to improve.

Whether Lloyd could be the answer only remains to be seen, and there may be understandable concerns over the striker's goalscoring record, but the departure of Obikwu has forced the Imps into action and supporters may simply have to trust Skubala's judgement once more.