Exclusive: QPR and Cardiff City join Celtic & Rangers in Sheffield Wednesday transfer race | OneFootball

QPR and Cardiff City have joined a host of clubs in the race for Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles, Football League World understands

QPR and Cardiff City are both poised to enter the market in search of a new goalkeeper ahead of the 2026/27 Championship campaign, with the summer transfer window now swiftly approaching.

Julien Stephan's QPR side were fancied as potential top-six candidates before a ball was kicked but have struggled to consistently deliver on expectations.

The Frenchman has long tossed up his goalkeeping options and appears to have clear designs on recruiting a consistent, higher-quality first-choice shot-stopper once the summer months roll around.

Cardiff will be joining QPR in the Championship after achieving promotion from League One behind title-winners Lincoln City at the very first time of asking, but may well need to address that position themselves depending on the outcome of Nathan Trott's future.

The 27-year-old has been a revelation for the Bluebirds following his loan arrival from Copenhagen last summer, keeping 16 clean sheets from 41 league appearances.

However, recent reports have suggested that Trott has rebuffed Cardiff's promotion-activated £1.5 million purchase option in favour of returning to the Danish capital as he assesses his next steps, and while the saga appears to remain very much up in the air at this moment in time, the Bluebirds are already weighing up alternatives and, alongside QPR, have joined a number of sides in the race to lure away a prised asset from League One-bound Sheffield Wednesday.

QPR and Cardiff City in transfer race for Sheffield Wednesday's Pierce Charles

Ahead of the upcoming summer window, Football League World can exclusively reveal that both QPR and Cardiff have identified impressive Sheffield Wednesday shot-stopper Pierce Charles as a transfer target in an effort to bolster their respective goalkeeping options.

Sources have disclosed to FLW that the Hoops and the Bluebirds have now joined the race for Charles, who could be primed to leave Hillsborough this summer as the Owls prepare for life in League One after suffering relegation all the way back in February.

With 35 senior appearances under his belt at club level despite a series of injury setbacks and a further 10 caps for Northern Ireland already, the 20-year-old has established himself as one of the most promising young goalkeepers in the country after breaking into the Owls' first-team last season.

His performances in blue-and-white have often caught the eye, combining shrewd reflexes and the sort of authority which belies his youthful years with sleek distribution qualities.

It's perhaps little surprise, then, that Charles is being eyed up by Bluebirds head coach Brian Barry-Murphy, who has continued his track record of cultivating young talent in the Welsh capital this season and requires goalkeepers to be comfortable under pressure and playing out from the back in a progressive, possession-orientated style of play.

QPR and Cardiff City facing Celtic, Rangers transfer competition to land Sheffield Wednesday's Pierce Charles

Exactly how plausible a deal actually is for either side to broker remains to be seen, however, with Charles having earned no shortage of suitors in recent times.

Just last week, it was reported by talkSPORT that Old Firm duo Celtic and Rangers are both eyeing a move for Charles, who played under current Ibrox boss Danny Rohl at Wednesday before the German's exit last summer.

A previous report from TEAMtalk claimed of a wider pursuit of Charles' sought-after signature, in which the likes of Coventry City, Leeds United, Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur and even Manchester City - where the prospect once turned out at academy level - were all credited with an interest.

Charles will, of course, be aware that regular game-time may be more available by remaining in the Championship with either QPR or Cardiff, who are both pursuing goalkeepers heading into the summer months.

However, the pair will face extremely stiff competition to land the prodigious' keeper's services and may quickly have to set their sights elsewhere if the likes of Celtic, Rangers or other interested parties advance their own interest.