Blackburn Rovers, Derby County & QPR eyeing 17-goal striker | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers, Derby County & QPR register summer interest in 17-goal striker

Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and Queens Park Rangers are all keen on a summer swoop for Rodez striker Timothe Nkada.

The trio of Championship clubs have all been busy so far this summer, with Rovers recruiting four new players, Derby bringing in five new faces, while QPR have also brought in four players to Loftus Road.

Now they are all interested in bolstering their forward lines, hoping an arrival can help provide a consistent number of goals at the top end of the pitch to contribute towards a promotion push to the Premier League.

The latest name linked is Timothe Nkada, who has impressed in the French second-tier after an consistent goal-scoring term.

It appears to be an intriguing battle to see who can earn his signature before the 1st September deadline.

Blackburn Rovers, Derby County & QPR to battle it out for Timothe Nkada

As per a report by The Sun, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County and QPR are set to rival each other for the signing of Rodez frontman Timothe Nkada.

The Frenchman is seemingly on an upwards trajectory in his career, netting 17 times and providing five assists in Ligue 2 last season – leading to him being the joint-second top scorer.

It is believed that Nkada is available for transfer and will cost the second-tier trio £2.2 million to prize him away from France.

Current R’s boss Julien Stephan, has previously worked with Nkada when he was in the youth set-up at Rennes.

QPR could lead the Timothe Nkada race due to past Julien Stephan connection

When looking at the squads for Blackburn, Derby and QPR, you would feel the Rams are the least likely to require another forward, given they have already brought Carlton Morris, Patrick Ageymang and Andi Weimann to Pride Park.

With Rovers, they are amply supplied with forward options in Harry Leonard, Yuki Ohashi, Mahktar Gueye and Augustus Kargbo, so Blackburn may not make a concrete move unless one of their current crop departs.

With QPR, they are believed to be willing to sanction exits for Alfie Lloyd and Charlie Kelman, so a place for another striker may well be needed before their Championship opener.

Given Timothe Nkada and Julien Stephan’s previous connection at Rennes, it could be enough to see the R's win the race, with the French striker knowing that he has the best possible chance to hit the ground running in the second-tier under a familiar regime.

QPR would really benefit from the arrival of Nkada too, who possesses versatility in abundance to play across the entire forward line, although you would think he would want to carry on his form at centre-forward after notching so many league goals in France last term.

It would prove to be an exciting signing for any Championship club, with Nkada improving on his goal tally from 2023-24 and seemingly ready for the next step in his career as he aims to make a big name for himself.