Charlton eye loan deal for QPR striker
League One side Charlton Athletic are keen on bringing in Queens Park Rangers striker Paul Smyth on loan before Friday’s 5pm deadline.
The 23-year-old will reportedly be allowed to leave the Championship side, following their recent acquisitions of Albert Adomah, Chris Willock and Addicks striker Macauley Bonne, who joined last week for £2 million.
Rangers are also interested in signing 18-year-old Charlie Kelman from Southend United, which could further indicate that Smyth is not in Mark Warburton’s plans for the season and will most likely depart this summer.
The Northern Irishman has been on Charlton’s radar for some time. A loan move was apparently agreed in January 2019 and he looked set to become Karlan Grant’s replacement, but the deal fell through and he ended up joining Accrington Stanley.
Smyth began his career in his home nation with Linfield, before signing for QPR in 2017. He has featured 19 times for the R’s, scoring twice. He managed three goals in 16 games for Accrington during his loan spell there and spent last season with League One playoff winners Wycombe Wanderers, where he made 21 appearances in all competitions, but only bagged one goal.
With Lee Bowyer still keen on bringing in the striker and Rangers prepared to let him go again, it would make sense for this deal to go ahead within the next few days.
