"Spend that money elsewhere" - QPR told to forget Barnsley FC transfer this summer | OneFootball

FLW’s Hoops fan pundit has weighed in on Davis Keillor-Dunn transfer links

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…

Following a prolific season in League One, Barnsley’s Davis Keillor-Dunn has emerged as one of the most sought-after players outside the Championship.

The 27-year-old attacking midfielder notched 19 goals and five assists across all competitions during the 2024/25 campaign, despite Barnsley’s failure to reach the play-offs.

Football League World has exclusively reported that his consistent output and versatility have reportedly drawn interest from Queens Park Rangers, Oxford United, and Wrexham, all of whom are weighing whether the step-up in fee is justified.

Keillor-Dunn’s standout year at Oakwell came on the back of a similarly productive spell at Mansfield Town in League Two, raising questions about whether he is ready to make a seamless transition to the second tier.

Barnsley’s chairman Neerav Parekh has already acknowledged the club’s need to balance the books through player sales, but the forward’s two years remaining on his contract could see the Tykes demand a significant transfer fee.

Davis Keillor-Dunn’s name emerges on QPR’s summer transfer radar

Football League World spoke with QPR fan pundit, Louis Moir, to ask if Keillor-Dunn was the right player to bolster the R’s attacking options, or if the Championship would be a step too far for the 27-year-old.

“Obviously he's had an unbelievable season for Barnsley in League One. To get that many goal contributions from midfield is quite impressive, and players who do that in League One, you always sort of keep an eye on them because - not all the time - but some of them, if they get signed in the Championship, can they make that step up?” Moir told FLW.

“It's hard to say because, like attacking wise, in terms of attacking midfielders, you know we do lack goals from midfield a lot, but with the players we've got, I can see us maybe getting one or two who could maybe do a job from that position, from elsewhere, compared to getting someone from League One.

“I don't think realistically he would be that high up on our priority transfer list. You look at Barnsley as well in the past few years, they've done well to get decent money for certain players that they've sold and obviously, this guy is 27.

“He's obviously had a really good spell, but he's in his prime and probably deserves a shot at Championship level, but you'd think they'd want a fair bit of money for him, and I just think maybe we could spend that money elsewhere, on better priority positions for us as a club to be honest.

“But yeah, it's hard to say - I've not seen him play really, so it's hard to say whether he'd struggle stepping up to the Championship, but with numbers like that you'd have faith in him doing so.

“It's that concern that Barnsley have done it in the past, and they might do it again and if they were to sell him it'd be for decent money and probably some amount that we wouldn't be willing to afford on a League One player.”

Championship interest grows as Barnsley prepare for potential key sale

The verdict among QPR supporters, at least from this perspective, is one of cautious consideration.

While Keillor-Dunn’s numbers suggest he could be worth the gamble, financial realism and positional priorities appear to be the overriding concern.

For now, the 27-year-old remains a high-performing League One asset - but with Championship suitors circling and Barnsley open to business, the coming weeks could define whether Keillor-Dunn finally earns his opportunity at a higher level.