QPR have tabled an offer in the region of £5m for Blackburn Rovers defender Chris Samba and have also shown interest in teammate Junior Hoilett – a move which could scupper Tottenham’s plans of a double swoop for the duo in January.
Following an admission by Chairman Tony Fernandes ontalkSPORT’s breakfast show of how his Loftus Road side were seeking defensive reinforcements, Sky Sports later announced that Rangers were the first to make a serious offer for the Rovers centre-back. A bid that will surely be knocked back by Blackburn manager Steve Kean in an attempt to cling onto his key players in their quest for Premiership survival.
Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp has been planning a double raid on the Ewood Park strugglers by making a £12m bid for Samba and nippy forward Junior Hoilett. The Spurs boss is looking to strengthen his squad following an impressive first half to the season which has seen the Lily Whites climb to third place in the table within touching distance of leaders Manchester City.
Writing in his column in The Sun, Redknapp said,
“If you’d told me six months ago that my Spurs side would be right in the mix for the title, I’d have laughed.
“And if we can find a couple of new faces to improve us even further over the next month, then who knows where this season could take us?”
Redknapp is also reported to be interested in Bolton’s Gary Cahill who’s proposed move to Chelsea broke down last week due to the England international’s hefty wage demands. However, further talks have since taken place and Cahill is expected to sign for the Blue’s in the next few days.
QPR’s surprise bid may be of concern to Redknapp after he identified Samba as the man to bolster his back line but the 27 year-old is not expected to be keen on swapping one relegation tussle for another. With Spurs in a position to challenge for the Premiership title and potential wages of up to £70,000-a-week, White Hart Lane would be a more attractive offer.
The same is also expected of Junior Hoilett who is one of very few positives to come out of Blackburn’s miserable season – a player who Redknapp rates highly. The 21 year-old is out of contract in the summer which leaves Steve Kean in a weak bargaining position. The Rovers boss will undoubtedly want to keep hold of his young starlet for the same reasons he’ll want to hang onto Samba, but runs the risk of eventually losing Hoilett for nothing when his contract expires.
Reluctantly cashing in on the Canadian-born winger may be the only option for Rovers which will enable Kean to strengthen his own squad with the monies raised as he bids to secure the Blue’s Premiership status. Blackburn value Hoilett at £9m but both Spurs and QPR will look to take advantage of the attacker’s contract situation by tabling a starting bid of around £5m.
Rovers reluctance to sell Samba will see them hold out for more than the £5m offered by QPR with Spurs expected to bid upwards of £7m.
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Written by Graham Duckworth for http://www.footballtransfertavern.com
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