QPR facing Charlton Athletic & Watford competition for Reading FC transfer | OneFootball

Four clubs from the second tier want to sign the defender this summer.

Queens Park Rangers are reportedly keen on Reading defender Amadou Mbengue.

As we head towards the midst of the 2025 summer transfer window, the R's are in a pretty precarious position. Having placed their manager, Marti Cifuentes, on gardening leave in April, they are no closer to finding a successor to the Spaniard.

Most recently, the former Stade Rennes and RC Strasbourg boss Julien Stephan has been linked with the vacant position at Loftus Road, but there has been nothing concrete to suggest that any appointment is on the horizon.

QPR want Reading defender Mbengue

Even without someone to lead the first-team next season, the club's hierarchy are still going ahead with their summer plans. Mbengue, a 23-year-old defender, is a player that QPR are interested in signing, according to West London Sport. He has been offered a new deal by Reading but will be available for the Rs to go after as a free agent, should they pursue him.

They won't be alone in their pursuit of the Senegalese defender. Fellow Londoners Charlton Athletic and Watford, plus Championship rivals Preston North End, are also reportedly keen on the 23-year-old, who made 109 appearances for the Royals across three seasons.

He played on the right of a central defensive pairing for the Royals last term, making him a likely replacement option for Jimmy Dunne, who is receiving a lot of attention this summer. Like Mbengue, the Irishman is out of contract this summer. QPR are in talks with him about a new deal, amid interest from Sheffield United.

The Blades made a £2 million offer for Dunne in the winter window, according to The Star, but the west London club elected to hold onto the defender despite the risk of losing him for nothing this summer.

Amadou Mbengue makes perfect sense for QPR

Mbengue has some Championship experience from his first campaign with the Royals, in which they were relegated because of a six-point deduction. He continually built his case to be a regular in the starting XI under Ruben Selles and then Noel Hunt, helping Reading to nearly reach the play-offs despite the financial limitations they were under during their previous era of ownership.

At 23, he's a player that QPR could continue to develop and, like other past unearthed talents, could go on to leave Loftus Road for a profit in the future, should they beat their competition for his signature.