"At least £5m" - QPR, Jake Clarke-Salter claim made as Wolves circle | OneFootball

The centre-back has had plenty of interest from Premier League clubs this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Jake Clarke-Salter is said to be of interest to Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer, according to a report from Football Insider.

The Midlands outfit are heading into the market for a central defender after the sale of Max Kilman to top flight rivals West Ham United, with the Hammers forking out £40 million for his services.

As a result, the Old Gold have plenty of cash to splash to add defensive reinforcements this summer, with the Queens Park Rangers centre-back said to be one of the names on the list of replacements.

A number of clubs have been rumoured to have had an interest in the 26-year-old this summer, with Stoke City among those interested, as well as the likes of Celtic, Burnley, Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.

Wolverhampton Wanderers consider bid for Queens Park Rangers defender Jake Clarke-Salter

Clarke-Salter has been on the books at Loftus Road since the summer of 2022, when he made the move to join the R’s after leaving Chelsea, the club he climbed the ranks as during his childhood.

Since joining the Hoops, the centre-back has been a solid performer in the defensive unit, with his assured performances winning himself plenty of admirers over the past 12 months.

Despite their lowly league position, Marti Cifuentes’ side only shipped 58 goals in the previous campaign, with Clarke-Salter’s performances at the back helping his side maintain their Championship status.

As a result, FLW’s QPR fan pundit Louis Moir can’t see the domineering centre-back playing in West London by the time the transfer window shuts at the end of next month.

Moir said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Jake Clarke-Salter was to leave the club this summer.

“Obviously, with the rumours from a few weeks ago, where he was linked to Premier League clubs, and now the latest one is Wolves, who have just lost Max Kilman, so obviously they will be looking for a centre-half.

“I could potentially see this happening, because I do believe that he is a Premier League level player. Wolves is quite a good fit for him, and I think he would fit into the Premier League in a team like Wolves.

“They like to play decent football quite well, and I think with them selling Kilman for a lot of money, I do believe we’d get a good fee for Clarke-Salter, so i think we’d have to be looking for at least £5m, and if we got more than that would be superb business.

“It would be a shame if he was to leave, but you can see it happening and it wouldn’t be a surprise to be honest.

He’s obviously a top, top player, and if he stays fit he is probably one of the best centre-halves in the Championship, there’s no doubting that.”

Marti Cifuentes will need to bring in reinforcements if Jake Clarke-Salter is sold

If Rangers do get the money in the bank for Clarke-Salter’s sale this summer, they will be looking to bring in a defender with plenty of experience to help them continue their upward trajectory from the previous campaign.

Cifuentes [pictured] turned the ship around after taking over the club while they sat in the relegation places last season, and the Spaniard will be working hard to add to his options ahead of the 24/25 season-opener.

The R’s have already brought in a number of recruits this summer, with goalkeeper Paul Nardi joining from KAA Gent, while 21-year-old centre-back Liam Morrison has joined from Bayern Munich.

Right-back Hevertton has also joined from CF Estrela in Portugal, but despite the early transfer business, Moir believes another incoming will be needed this summer to cover Clarke-Salter’s loss.

The QPR fan continued: “We’ve signed the young Scottish centre-back Liam Morrison, but we needed another centre-half anyway, so we’ll probably have to get a replacement in for Clarke-Salter as well.

“I’d have faith in it being a good one. Ideally you don’t want Clarke-Salter to go, but if he does and we get good money, you can’t really complain.

“It would be a shame but you can certainly see it happening, that’s for sure.”