"It’s not really happened" - Bristol City & Stoke City handed warning amid QPR transfer talks | OneFootball

The Irishman is said to be wanted by the Robins this summer as he enters the final year of his QPR contract

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bristol City are said to be advancing in a deal to bring Sinclair Armstrong to the club from Queens Park Rangers this summer, although they are set to be rivalled by Stoke City.

As first reported by Football Insider, the Robins want to bring the 21-year-old explosive forward to Ashton Gate, with the Irishman having less than a year left on his contract at Loftus Road, but as per John Fallon of the Irish Examiner, Stoke are poised to muscle in with an offer of their own.

With Armstong's previous deal set to expire this summer, the R’s triggered a one-year extension to his contract last month, although they could be set to cash in before the 2024/25 campaign gets underway after City’s advances.

Sinclair Armstrong linked with Bristol City move but Stoke City could hijack

Armstrong’s performances in the wide areas drove fear into plenty of Championship defenders over the course of the previous campaign, with his pace and power proving too hot to handle on a number of occasions.

His direct approach in the final third makes him a top threat in the EFL, although he only managed to find the net three times in the league over the past 12 months, as well as laying on just three goals for his teammates.

That will have contributed to Rangers mustering just 47 league goals from their 46 Championship games in 23/24, with only three sides finding the back of the net less than they did.

As R’s boss Marti Cifuentes looks to build on a season that saw them largely fighting relegation, FLW'sQPR fan pundit Louis Moir believes the Spaniard won’t be too sad to see the Irishman depart, although it could be a case of what could have been.

"It’s a shame because obviously we should be seeing a lot more from him now, and it’s not really happened," Louis told Football League World.

“He’s only got the year extension, so he’s another one like [Chris] Willock, who doesn’t seem to want to hang around or stay long term, which I’m surprised about, especially with Armstrong.

“To go to Bristol City, to be honest I think any club Armstrong goes to there’s a risk of us selling him and he does amazing, and we’re all thinking that’s the talent that we wanted to see for QPR, but it hasn’t materialised.

“But then again, you at him and [Lyndon] Dykes and for us they don’t score goals. We need goalscorers, and Marti [Cifuentes] doesn’t seem to rate Armstrong that much, he hasn’t played him a lot in terms of starting him.

“So the question marks were there really towards the end of last season, but I am surprised that bigger clubs aren’t looking at Armstrong, because he still has that talent and potential there with him.”

QPR, Sinclair Armstrong valuation claim made amid Bristol City and Stoke interest

Armstrong isn’t the only QPR man in demand this summer, with The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claiming that Lyndon Dykes is being monitored by Blackburn Rovers, via his Patreon page.

With just six goals from his 41 Championship appearances last season, Dykes - like Armstrong - has had trouble finding the back of the net of late, although he does have a deal at Loftus Road until the summer of 2026.

With that in mind, Moir believes Armstrong’s contract length will more than likely determine that he leaves the club this summer, with Bristol City or Stoke getting him at a bargain price as a result.

Louis continued: “We’re going to have to sell, because if he’s only go the year extension we have to get money for him. But if he goes and Dykes goes we’re going to need two strikers coming in, at least, and I think we should be looking at a fee similar to Dykes, maybe a couple of million.

“That could be a bit of a push because Armstrong only has a year left, but we’ll see, I think any money we can get for him is better than nothing, and hopefully it can all be sorted soon.”