QPR interested in striking Maynard deal
Nicky Maynard could be set for a move to the Premier League after QPR stepped up their interest in the striker after he was transfer listed by Bristol City.
The 25-year-old has courted a lot of interest from the top flight after it was revealed he’d be allowed to depart Ashton Gate after failing to negotiate an extension to his current deal that runs out in June. New Rangers boss Mark Hughes has earmarked the striker as the man to solves his sides problems in front of goal and fire them to safety.
Despite being the Robins’ top scorer manager Derek McInnes is prepared to sell Maynard rather than let him leave on a free in the summer and that has alerted Hughes who has put a prolific striker at the top of his shopping list. Jay Bothroyd and DJ Campbell, both signed by former R’s chief Neil Warnock, have struggled to find the net since joining the club with Heidar Helguson shouldering the goal scoring burden for much of the season.
However Hughes doesn’t want to rely on the 34-year-old Icelandic striker for the rest of the campaign and knows he can get Maynard at a fee lower than the £2.5 million City payed to sign him from Crewe Alexandra in 2008. Fellow strugglers Wigan have also been credited with an interest in the prolific striker who has scored 46 goals in 131 games over three and a half years with the Robins.
Roberto Martinez has since distanced himself from any transfer speculation leaving the door open for QPR to swoop in and bring Maynard to Loftus Road before the transfer window closes.
