Celtic take action in QPR transfer race with Burnley, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Wolves | OneFootball

Celtic have sounded out a potential move for QPR defender Jake Clarke-Salter as they look to beat out reported interest from Burnley, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Wolves, according to Football Scotland.

Clarke-Salter has been an important part of the R's rejuvenation under Marti Cifuentes and The Sun revealed on Monday that he has caught the eye of Celtic, Ipswich, and the Premier League duo as a result.

The centre-back has had his injury issues since moving to Loftus Road on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2022 but has been a mainstay in the side under Cifuentes and formed a formidable partnership with Steve Cook, which has been central to the success under the Spaniard.

Back-to-back wins over the Easter Weekend has seen the R's, who many felt were down after their torrid start to the season under Gareth Ainsworth, climb to 16th and put six points between them and the relegation zone.

Celtic sound out summer move for QPR's Jake Clarke-Salter

The remarkable turnaround at Loftus Road was always likely to draw attention from elsewhere and Clarke-Salter is thought to have caught the eye of clubs in the Championship, Premier League, and the Scottish Premiership.

It appears that Celtic's interest is concrete as the Old Firm outfit have taken action as they look to put themselves in a good position to win the race for his signature this summer.

According to Football Scotland, the Scottish club's recruitment team have made tentative contact on a fact-finding mission ahead of the upcoming window.

It is said that they have been keen to establish what the potential fee could be as well as Clarke-Salter's desire and expectations.

Jake Clarke-Salter's contract runs until 2026

The central defender signed a three-year deal when he joined the R's in 2022, which means he is under contract at Loftus Road until the summer of 2025.

As a result, you'd imagine the Championship club would want to be well compensated to let him leave in the upcoming transfer window.

QPR will not want to lose the centre-back but Celtic and Premier League pull could force their hand

The R's will not want to lose such a key cog in Cifuentes' side, particularly in the Spanish coach's first summer at Loftus Road.

It now looks as though the West Londoners will be playing Championship football next season so the West London club will want to provide the tools to ensure the positive progress can continue under their current boss.

Keeping key players will be an important part of that and the R's will likely look to stand firm when it comes to Clarke-Salter but the player may find it hard to resist an offer from Celtic or the Premier League.

If that's the case, then cashing in and reinvesting the money into Cifuentes' squad is far from the end of the world.

The 26-year-old would surely demand a multi-million-pound fee, which would be particularly useful for a club that have been fairly limited financially in recent windows.