QPR & Stoke City embroiled in transfer battle to sign French midfielder | OneFootball

Habib Keita is expected to leave Clermont Foot this summer, with Championship clubs keen

Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City are among several Championship clubs eyeing up a potential move for Clermont Foot midfielder, Habib Keita.

That is according to a report from French outlet, L'Équipe, who claim that the 23-year-old is expected to leave the Ligue 2 outfit this summer after a controversial end to the season on a personal level with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes-based outfit.

The Hoops and Potters are two sides set for very intriguing pre-seasons respectively. It has been reported that the West London outfit have reached an agreement with former Rennes and RC Strasbourg boss, Julien Stephan, as the man who will take over from Marti Cifuentes after the Spaniard was placed on gardening leave, whilst it is the first off-season for Mark Robins at the Bet365 Stadium following his appointment on New Year's Day.

And, with Stephan in particular, having strong links to his home country, it has been reported that the two sides are strong admirers of Keita, and the Malian could potentially move to Loftus Road or the Bet365 Stadium to bolster the midfield options of either second-tier side.

Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City fronting Championship interest in Habib Keita

The 23-year-old's career path thus far has certainly been interesting, having initially moved to France in October 2020, joining Ligue 1 giants Lyon for a reported €1m sum.

After making his senior breakthrough in a 4-1 win against Lorient in May 2021, in which he replaced current West Ham United playmaker, Lucas Paqueta, Keita only went on to make three further appearances for 'Les Gones', joining Belgian side Kortrijk on loan for the 2022/23 season, before joining Clermont in the following summer for €1.2m.

His current employers were in the midst of a three-season spell in the French top-flight at the time. However, Keita's first season at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied saw the club relegated back to Ligue 2, before he also saw a potential €3m switch to RC Lens cancelled in June 2024 due to a change in manager and CEO.

It was also reported last November that Crystal Palace were considering a move for the combative midfielder, who went on to score once and register four assists last term. However, amid L'Équipe's fresh report, Keita didn't play a part in the final five league games or the Ligue 2/National play-off success against US Boulogne, which saw Clermont stave off the threat of back-to-back relegations due to a changing of agent.

It has been claimed that Keita is expected to move on this summer with just one year left, and that QPR and Stoke could prepare a move sooner rather than later, with plenty of other Championship rivals also impressed by the midfielder's exploits under five different managers.

Julien Stephan factor could have huge say in potential QPR swoop for Habib Keita

Whilst Robins has had success with European exports in the past, most notably the signing of Gus Hamer during his time at Coventry City, the pending appointment of Stephan could have a huge bearing on whether Rangers decide to intensify their interest.

Stephan has only managed in Ligue 1 during his managerial career thus far, and will have seen Keita's influence on Clermont's midfield on a much more regular basis, and he could be seen as the ideal replacement for Jonathan Varane, who is the subject of a reported £5m bid from La Liga side, Espanyol.

Both clubs will need to be extremely savvy in the transfer market for various reasons, and if Keita was to opt to move to Stoke over QPR should a bid come his way, it would be hoped that he could emulate the recently-departed Jordan Thompson in the middle of the park and become a mainstay, whilst Potters fans would also like to see a cohesive side moulded by Robins after years of high player and managerial turnover.

Keita's former club will also be monitoring this particular transfer saga, as Lyon inserted a clause which will see them gain 20 percent of the profit made from the aforementioned €1.2m transfer two years ago.