QPR will pay over the odds for Alessandro Pellicori - but only if the Italian striker proves he's worth a £1million fee during the next two games.

Reports that the 27-year-old's transfer is a done deal are wide of the mark.

But Rangers are worried that unless they pay far more than they might need to they will lose the prolific hitman to someone else.

The deal will be rushed through if Pellicori's trial with Rs turns up trumps, because his club, Avellino, are on the verge of bankruptcy and after being relegated from Serie B they need all the cash they can get.

Pellicori was last night (Wednesday) with the Rs squad on their tour of Slovenia and Croatia that ends on Sunday with the match against NK Carlovac - but an insider insisted Pellicori was just one of a number of irons in the fire.

"If Jim Magilton likes what he sees," said the source, "then a deal can be done quickly. With the state Avellino are in it could be that a future creditor would let him go far more cheaply - but there are too many ifs and maybes to all of that."

The player was loaned out to Serie B side Grosseto last season, and has done the rounds in Italy's second tier except for a single spell in the top-flight with Lecce three seasons ago.

However, the season before last he hit 18 for Avellino in a notoriously defensive league, while playing as the lone hitman for the ailing club.

An Rs insider said: "He's come to an age where he could be perfect for QPR - but that's all in the hands of the manager."