"Bit of a mess" - Exclusive: QPR tipped to beat Blackburn Rovers to top flight striker | OneFootball

Lee Hendrie has given his reaction to reports that QPR and Blackburn Rovers are interested in RKC Waalwijk striker Oskar Zawada.

Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Queens Park Rangers could have an advantage over Blackburn Rovers in the race to sign RKC Waalwijk striker Oskar Zawada this summer.

According to Dutch publication SoccerNews, Blackburn, QPR and Oxford United are all interested in signing Zawada in the summer after his prolific campaign for Waalwijk in the Eredivisie this season.

After a strong spell with New Zealand-based Wellington Phoenix, where he scored 22 goals in 42 games, Zawada made the move to the Netherlands in the summer, and he was immediately handed the captain's armband by head coach Henk Fraser.

The 29-year-old's performances for the Dutch top flight side have not gone unnoticed, and he doesn't appear to be short of potential suitors ahead of the summer transfer window, with German second division duo Hannover 96 and Kaiserslautern also believed to be keeping tabs on the striker.

Zawada is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract at the Mandemakers Stadion this summer.

Lee Hendrie casts doubt on Blackburn Rovers' hopes of landing Oskar Zawada

Blackburn sat in the play-off places when head coach John Eustace made the shock decision to take over at relegation-threatened Derby County in mid-February, but it has been a nightmare few months for the Lancashire outfit under his replacement, Valerien Ismael, with supporters even stepping up protests against the club's ownership.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Hendrie admitted that the off-field turmoil at Ewood Park could be a deterrent to prospective signings in the summer, and he believes a more stable club like QPR may be a more attractive option for Zawada.

We asked Hendrie: 'Blackburn want to sign RKC Waalwijk striker Oskar Zawada. Do you think a new striker is really needed? They have Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Ohashi as their main options right now...'

"Blackburn have had a season where they've just dropped off since John Eustace has left the football club," He said.

"There's a lot going on at Blackburn, and obviously they've got the likes of Makhtar Gueye and Yuki Ohashi as their key strikers. They started the season relatively well, but when you dip in form, you look at forward players and who is contributing and who can contribute.

"That has been a reason why they've drifted off because the strikers haven't really stepped up to the mark during a real dip in form. I feel Blackburn are in a bit of a mess at the moment, but I feel that QPR are a team that are on the up, even though Blackburn are a massive club.

"As a player, you want some stability, and I'm sure that's what Zawada will be looking at."

Valerien Ismael facing big Blackburn Rovers problem in summer transfer window

There is no guarantee that Zawada would be able to adapt to English football, but his impressive form for Waalwijk in the Eredivisie suggests that he could be a shrewd acquisition for a Championship club in the summer.

As Hendrie says, while Gueye and Ohashi have both been decent additions for Blackburn, they have not been able to deliver consistently this season, and a lack of goals has contributed significantly to the club's slide down the table since the turn of the year.

Ismael will be keen to overhaul his squad in the summer, but Hendrie is right that the off-field issues at the club, as well as the poor form under the 49-year-old, could make it difficult for Rovers to convince potential signings to make the move to Ewood Park.