Opinion: QPR may seriously regret selling 27-year-old to Bristol City | OneFootball

Queens Park Rangers could be heading for a summer of transition under head coach Gareth Ainsworth, with several players coming to a crossroads in their careers.

The likes of Chris Willock and Lyndon Dykes have just one year left on their contracts and could be sold, and another potential departure could be that of centre-back Rob Dickie.

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The 27-year-old has been linked with a move to Bristol City, who are said to be in talks with QPR for the defender according to Football Insider.

What is Rob Dickie's situation at QPR?

Dickie currently has one year remaining on his contract at Loftus Road, having never signed an extension to the four-year deal he penned in 2020 when signing from Oxford United.

Despite a disappointing 2022-23 season overall, Dickie has been a key player for the club for a number of years, so you'd naturally expect QPR to want to keep hold of him.

However, that is not the case as per a report from West London Sport, the R's are ready to cash in on Dickie following Bristol City's interest.

Dickie apparently does not fit Ainsworth's style, therefore he is happy to let the 27-year-old depart for Ashton Gate or another club and get some cash into his transfer kitty in perhaps the final chance the club will get.

Could it be the wrong move though from the R's to sell to a Championship rival? It could very well be.

Should QPR sell Rob Dickie to Bristol City?

There is an argument to be had that Dickie should be kept by QPR as he has been a very good player for most of his time at the club.

Just before the January transfer window opened in 2022, Dickie was being linked to a plethora of Premier League clubs, including Leeds United, West Ham and Southampton, with R's icon Kevin Gallen rating him as a £10 million player.

Clearly his form dipped last season for the most part, but no QPR player really covered themselves in glory in what was a very disappointing season and Dickie shouldn't be lambasted for it.

There are thoughts that he simply does not fit in the way that Ainsworth wants to play, but very good players can fit into any system and Dickie is still a good player, he just needs to be surrounded by the right team-mates.

He's not likely to ever be worth £10 million again and with Bristol City not a team to splash the cash, it's unlikely that the Hoops will get that much for his signature.

However, if they are going to let him go this summer, then selling to a rival club who they could be battling with for the play-offs at the back end of the season could backfire.

There is every chance that Dickie revives himself should he secure a move to City, with a partnership on paper with either Zak Vyner or Rob Atkinson - or perhaps playing in a back three with them - looking a solid one.

And should QPR suffer and be relegated to League One and Bristol City end up thriving, then it would look in hindsight an incredibly bad move by the club to cash in for what will likely not be a significant fee.

It may either be worth keeping Dickie until the end of his contract and hope that his form improves next season or try to sell him to a club in Scotland or overseas, with Belgium now a popular landing spot for some British EFL talents - and they would be locations that Dickie could not come back to haunt the club from.