QPR appear to have beaten Crystal Palace to the signature of Steven Caulker.
Rangers manager Harry Redknapp has agreed a fee of £8million with Cardiff City for the centre-half and the player is reportedly set to undergo a medical today.
Rio Ferdinand last week finalised his move to Loftus Road on a free transfer following the expiry of his Manchester United contract this summer.
Redknapp has used the capture of the former England captain as a bargaining tool in negotiations with Caulker and it looks to have swung the deal in favour of the R’s.
Cardiff boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has resisted playing Caulker and in-demand striker Fraizer Campbell in pre-season fixtures in a bid to keep them injury-free ahead of moves.
"The boys have expressed a wish to play Premier League football again next season and we are resigned to losing them,” Solskjaer said earlier this month. “I am not going to take a risk injury by playing them in pre-season fixtures.
“It’s up to them now to make a decision, Of course if they decide to stay with Cardiff that’s a different matter, but both expressed they want to play Premier League football and we can’t give them that this season.”
“The prospect of playing with Rio Ferdinand in the centre of defence is something that will appeal to the lad,” Redknapp said last week. “He’s a young player and he can only improve playing alongside somebody as experienced as Rio.
“If you look at Gary Cahill he has improved massively playing with John Terry and I believe Rio can do the same for Caulker. That’s a deal we would really like to get done.”
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