QPR told to cash in on Jonathan Varane on one clear condition as "£6m-7m" fee mooted | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit has given his reaction to reports that French side Saint-Etienne are interested in midfielder Jonathan Varane.

Queens Park Rangers are currently in play-off contention in the Championship, but they could face the threat of losing midfielder Jonathan Varane in the January transfer window.

It has been an excellent season so far for QPR, and despite a slight dip in form over the festive period, Julien Stephan's side currently sit 11th in the table, just three points from the play-off places.

The R's will be hoping to use the January window to strengthen their squad for a promotion push in the second half of the season, but they may also have to fend off approaches for some of their stars, with Varane one of those who is attracting attention from elsewhere.

According to West London Sport, Saint-Étienne have reignited their interest in Varane after having offers rejected for him in the summer, and the French outfit are keen to sign the 24-year-old on loan for the rest of the season with a view to signing him permanently for a fee of £5.2 million.

Varane has scored one goal and provided two assists in 23 appearances for the Hoops this season, with 20 of those coming from the start, but he will be sidelined for a few weeks with a knee injury picked up in Sunday's 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.

However, it remains to be seen whether that could prove to be Varane's final appearance for QPR, with Saint-Étienne stepping up their attempts to bring the midfielder back to his native France as they look to secure an immediate return to Ligue 1.

QPR told to make big Jonathan Varane demand amid Saint-Étienne interest

When asked for his reaction to Saint-Étienne's interest in Varane, FLW's QPR fan pundit Louis Moir admitted he would not be too disappointed to lose the midfielder given his decline in form this season, but he insisted the club should only sell him for a fee of around £6-7 million.

"I'm not surprised there's interest in Jonathan Varane," Louis told FLW.

"By the standards of what we saw for the majority of the second half of last season, he's just not been on that level this year.

"I think he can be so much better, but despite that, he's still a very good player.

"There's interest from Saint-Etienne, and apparently they want him on loan until the end of the season with a view to buying him for over £5 million in the summer, but I'm not sure about that.

"I think we've got to push for a lot more than that.

"As he's not been as good this season and he's currently injured, his value is probably not going to be as high as maybe is possible, but I do think we could get £6m-7m for him, I really do.

"He's still got three or four years left on his contract, him signing that new deal was massive because, if he was to go, we'd get a decent chunk of money for him considering how much we spent on him.

"If he was to leave, we'd have a lot of money coming in, and that could get a few players in to replace him, not just one.

"Yes, with his performances last season, it would be a massive blow, but, so far this season, he's looked slow, he's looked a bit lethargic on the ball, and he's been very casual.

"He's not really stood out like he did last season, and maybe if he was to go, it wouldn't be a massive miss.

"I think he'd definitely be replaceable.

"You could say in the games we look good in, win and play well, the Varane and Madsen combination does work well, but players come and go.

"If you were to get an offer around the £6m mark, or even more, could you turn that down? Probably not.

"Going off this season's performances, I don't think it would be a big blow to lose him.

"It would be a shame in a way because he's not been at the club long, but there's going to be interest in these players, and a move to France might be of interest to him.

"If we get decent money, why not sell him?"

Jonathan Varane contract situation gives QPR a big advantage in Saint-Étienne negotiations

Varane has made a big impression at QPR since arriving from Sporting Gijon last summer, and he was the subject of strong transfer interest in the previous window, with Espanyol, Rapid Vienna, Basel and Saint-Étienne all making bids for the midfielder.

With that in mind, it is little surprise to see Saint-Étienne come back in for Varane, even if he has not quite performed to the same level this season, but Stephan will no doubt be reluctant to lose one of his regular starters at such a crucial point of the campaign while his side are just outside the play-off places.

However, as Varane signed a new long-term contract at Loftus Road in May, the R's are certainly in a strong negotiating position when it comes to his future, and if they do decide to cash in on him, they will make a significant profit on the £875,000 they paid for him 18 months ago.