QPR "worry" issued amid links to 16-goal striker - Could it lead to Rumarn Burrell sale? | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit has shared their thoughts on the club's links with Lorient forward Bamba Dieng

Preparations at Loftus Road for the upcoming summer transfer window and next campaign will be well underway, and the rumour mill is beginning to speed up for Queens Park Rangers.

Indeed, Julien Stephan's first year at the helm in West London did not go without its highs and lows; though unfortunately for R's supporters, it would end in disappointment.

Zero wins in their final six games of the season, including four defeats in a row, saw QPR slip to 15th in the table and well away from threatening for the play-off places.

Injuries have not helped Stephan's case, but with attacking options such as Richard Kone, Rumarn Burrell, Justin Obikwu, Rayan Kolli, Koki Saito, Paul Smyth, Karamoko Dembele, Ilias Chair, and Harvey Vale at his disposal, the West London outfit has underwhelmed.

With an array of options in the final third, it comes somewhat as a surprise to see QPR linked with a move for another forward this summer, with this potential signing set to shake things up at Loftus Road if it does go ahead.

Queens Park Rangers have been linked with out-of-contract Senegalese forward Bamba Dieng this summer

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According to FootballInsider's Pete O'Rourke via X, QPR, alongside Championship rivals West Bromwich Albion, are interested in the services of Lorient striker Bamba Dieng this summer, with the 26-year-old set to become a free agent imminently.

Dieng has only ever played in France during his professional career for the likes of Marseille, Angers, and Lorient, but a move to England could be on the cards this summer.

Football League World's QPR fan pundit, Louis Moir, has shared their thoughts on the club's links with Dieng, what their chances of signing the Lorient forward are, and what his potential arrival could mean for the futures of Burrell and Kone in particular.

Louis told FLW: "I just would be surprised if we went and signed another striker this summer.

"But obviously, with the rumours now about Bamba Dieng, it can only make you worry, really, if there's going to be movement, maybe regarding even Rumarn Burrell. Is there a risk now that he goes?

"I mean, there were murmurs that he was linked with Wolves or other clubs interested in him. Obviously, he's only been at QPR for a year, done really well, probably would have got quite a few more goals if not been injured. Debut season in the Championship, you know, clubs might have a close eye on him.

"But with the current situation of Kone, Burrell, Obikwu, obviously Kolli as well...will we sign a striker? I just can't see it until one of them leaves, and obviously Kolli could go. There might still be a risk with Obikwu, who has been injured since we signed him, and we haven't seen him.

"Bamba Dieng looks, to be honest, quite good. [He] has a solid record, obviously a Senegalese international. There's other clubs linked with him, and you look at it on paper and think we ain't really got a chance of signing him with the clubs that are so-called interested.

"But obviously in the grand scheme of things, we don't need a striker. But then you look at this guy, and you think, 'wow', like this could be a bit of a big signing, really, by the looks of it. And if there was a chance to sign him, especially on a free, I think that would be quite big, having looked at what he's capable of in some of the goals he scored in France, quite impressive finishes.

"It would certainly be a top signing on paper, but I just cannot see it for the life of me, until one of our current strikers leaves. And obviously, even if it was like a Kolli leaving, we've still got Burrell and Kone, and this guy wouldn't be coming in really, would he, as the third choice. So it's an interesting one.

"I think a signing like this would only happen if, like I say, like a Burrell would leave or even Kone, but I can't see that. No way."

Julien Stephan would have a hard time accommodating all of his QPR attacking options if Bamba Dieng signs

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It goes without saying that, whilst Dieng would be an exciting signing, given he has scored 16 goals in all competitions in 2025-26, his addition doesn't entirely make a lot of sense given QPR's current options.

Each of Burrell, Kone, and Obikwu were all signed in the past 12 months, and unless one of those is attracting heavy interest from elsewhere with a move expected, Dieng's addition creates more problems than it solves.

It's certainly a saga to keep an eye on, and one Stephan simply must have a plan for; though what that plan is, at this stage, remains to be seen.