Birmingham City and Derby County join QPR in race to sign £5m-rated winger | OneFootball

Koki Saito is at the centre of a battle between three Championship clubs for his services

Japanese winger Koki Saito is wanted by three Championship clubs - Birmingham City, Derby County and QPR - in the final weeks of the transfer window.

The 24-year-old spent last season on loan with the aforementioned Hoops at Loftus Road from Belgian second tier side Lommel, who are owned by the City Football Group.

At QPR, Saito played 39 times in the Championship, scoring three times and assisting a further three goals from predominantly a left wing position, and they want to re-sign him this summer.

However, Julien Stephan and co have some serious work to do if they are to get the Saito deal over the line.

Birmingham City and Derby County join Koki Saito transfer battle

As per journalist Mike McGrath, QPR have fresh second tier competition for his services in the form of Birmingham City and Derby County.

Birmingham City have a strong Japanese contingent already with Tomoki Iwata, Kanya Fujimoto and Kyogo Furuhashi at the club already, and they have already landed a high-profile winger deal with Demarai Gray returning to the club after departing nine years ago for Leicester City.

Blues though have a desire to add another wide player to their ranks, and Saito is now on their radar, with it looking increasingly likely that Hull City winger Abu Kamara is choosing to move to La Liga side Getafe.

Derby County have also submitted a bid for Saito, with manager John Eustace looking for fresh additions out wide after using both a winger and wingerless system in the Rams' first two matches of the 2025-26 season.

Lommel's asking price for Koki Saito as Championship trio make their moves

It remains to be seen though who lands Saito, with Dutch top flight outfit FC Twente also in the mix, and the price-tag could be a sticking point, with Lommel said to value him around the £5 million mark, as per McGrath's tweet.

QPR have only just splashed the cash on Wycombe Wanderers striker Richard Kone, with a deal that could be worth a total of £5 million if all add-ons are met, and a multi-million deal for Saito being completed too would surely be a statement of intent.

That could now be a struggle though with fresh competition for his services, although some may question the price-tag given Saito only registered six goal contributions in the Championship last season.

With the amount of clubs in for the 24-year-old, there's likely not going to be a quick resolution to this saga - there's still of course two-and-a-half weeks until the transfer deadline and it could drag on.