Jake Clarke-Salter, the defender for QPR, is a target for Stoke City in the summer transfer window.
Journalist John Percy of The Daily Telegraph claims that the 26-year-old may draw attention from other sources.
The defender, who had multiple loan stints with other teams, signed with the Hoops in the summer of 2022 after leaving Chelsea.
Despite occasionally being sidelined by injuries during his time with the team, Clarke-Salter has made 49 appearances for the R’s in all competitions since moving to Loftus Road.
He may still be in demand over the next few months, though, as it appears that the transfer market is about to open up once more.
Jake Clarke-Salter is a target for Stoke City.
According to this most recent update, Stoke is now preparing a move for Clarke-Salter, and as the season comes to an end, the window will soon open once more.
In an effort to move up the table the following season, Steven Schumacher’s team is rumored to be eager to bolster the Potters in a number of areas this summer.
Consequently, it appears that Clarke-Salter is now the Potters’ top target in advance of the 2024–2025 season.
It is also mentioned that there’s a possibility other teams, some of which are Premier League teams right now, might be interested in the defender.
As per the latest update, signing the 26-year-old would probably cost between £5-7 million. The remaining two years of Clarke-Salter’sdealwith QPR are still up.
His future at Loftus Road is thus assured until the conclusion of the 2025–2026 campaign, and QPR will have some room to negotiate any summertime offer.
Looking ahead to the upcoming season, QPR and Stoke
Given that they have spent a large portion of the current season battling relegation from the Championship, QPR and Stoke will undoubtedly be eager to move on.
Strong campaign finales did, however, guarantee their success in that regard. Both teams finished with 56 points, six points above the relegation zone. In the final standings, Stoke was ranked 17th, and QPR was ranked 18th.
As a result, both will be playing football in the second division again the following season, with much higher expectations.
For Stoke, Clarke-Salter might be a wise addition.
It appears that Stoke should make a realistic summer transfer target in someone like Clarke-Salter.
There won’t be many options for the Potters in the center of defense with Luke McNally on loan from Burnley and Ciaran Clark’s contract expiring in the summer.
So, in addition to adding some valuable depth to that position and bringing a wealth of Championship experience, Clarke-Salter should prove to be a dependable choice. But he would still have a lot to offer for many years to come at his age.
It will be interesting to see, though, if Stoke can afford this fee if they intend to add a number of positions this summer.
Paying for a single player is a pretty big investment for a Championship team, and you have to wonder how much it would take out of the budget considering the Potters also need to spend money on other targets.
In light of this, it will be interesting to watch how events regarding Clarke-Salter’sfuturedevelop over the coming months.
