QPR set to beat Derby County to transfer of Koki Saito | OneFootball

The 24-year-old is ready to re-join the side he spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan with.

Queens Park Rangers are in the driving seat regarding the return of Koki Saito, this time on a permanent deal from Lommel SK.

Mike McGrath reported last weekend that Derby County had agreed a deal with the Belgian side for the Japanese midfielder.

However, the Hoops have now seemingly hijacked the deal and matched the bid from John Eustace's side on Friday.

Saito spent last season on loan at Loftus Road, and despite a slow start, became a fan favourite by the end of the campaign due to his creativity and grit out on the wing.

QPR fans wanted to see him return to the club this season, and despite it taking until the final weeks of the transfer window, they've got their wish.

Queens Park Rangers set to beat Derby County in race to sign Koki Saito

The Daily Telegraph's Mike McGrath has reported that QPR are set to sign Saito this weekend, after matching the offer set by Derby, which met Lommel's valuation.

The report adds that the R's were Saito's preferred club, following a loan spell at Loftus Road last season, where he scored three and assisted three in 39 Championship outings.

The imminent deal will spell the end of Saito's five-and-a-half-year stint at Belgian Pro League side Lommel, albeit with the 24-year-old spending the latter three years of that spell out on loan.

Before joining QPR last season, the winger spent two seasons at Eredivisie side Sparta Rotterdam, scoring 10 and assisting 10 in a combined 47 league games over his two-year stint.

He began to show that creative edge towards the back end of last season at Loftus Road, but injuries and suspensions saw him miss six of the last eight Championship games; fortunately enough, that won't be how his time at the club ends.

Koki Saito adds to an exciting attacking transfer window at QPR

QPR's attacking depth has been bolstered tenfold over the course of the summer.

Kwame Poku, Rumarn Burrell and Richard Kone have all made the step-up into the Championship from League One to support the likes of Ilias Chair, Karamoko Dembélé and Paul Smyth going forward.

Adding Saito to the mix adds yet another dimension to a frontline which looks incredibly exciting under Julien Stephan.

After becoming a crowd favourite at Loftus Road towards the end of last season, QPR fans will be excited to see the 24-year-old return to the fold, and Saito himself won't need long to settle back into proceedings in the Championship.

The R's have endured a slow start to the season in both the league and EFL Cup, but the imminent arrival of Saito will provide a much-needed boost ahead of a tricky trip to the CBS Arena to take on Coventry City tomorrow.