QPR ‘talks’ continue with striker as Schalke boss gives Pape Meissa Ba update

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According to reports earlier in the week, there was a chance that Queens Park Rangers would have a new striker in the building before Friday night came to a close.

So, as midnight arrived without a fresh number nine posing for photos arm in arm with Julien Stephan, the QPR faithful could have been forgiven for wondering what had gone wrong.

QPR surprisingly sold Charlie Kelman to Charlton Athletic despite his Golden Boot-winning exploits a division below with Leyton Orient last time out.

Rumarn Burrell and Kwame Poku should bring an injection of guile and creativity to a side which scored only 53 Championship goals in 2024/25, but this is a Rangers side crying out for a number nine capable of turning a lower-mid-table finish into a potential play-off challenge.

So, enter Pape Meissa Ba. Or, at least, that is the plan.

Schalke striker Ba might not be a Queens Park Rangers player yet. But, as the German side’s Director of Professional Football, Youri Mulder, points out, there is still plenty of time for that to change.

Schalke boss Youri Mulder gives Pape Meissa Ba to Queens Park Rangers update

Kicker reported in midweek that Pape Meissa Ba was in line to join QPR before Schalke kicked off the new 2.Bundesliga campaign on Friday night.

Instead, Rangers’ wait will now drag on into the weekend and beyond.

Although, with Ba nowhere to be seen as Schalke beat fellow sleeping giants Hertha Berlin 2-1 at the Veltins Arena, a change of scenery still feels inevitable for the Senegalese frontman.

“Pape is in talks, but nothing is final yet,” Mulder said pre-match. “We hope he finds a new challenge.”

According to Sky Deutschland, QPR have actually agreed terms on a three-year deal with Pape Meissa Ba already. Schalke are understood to be open to offers in the region of £400,000.

A potential bargain, presuming Ba can recapture the form he displayed during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign. He scored 11 times in 20 matches for Grenoble in Ligue 2 before joining Schalke in January and hitting only two in 13.

“[Ba’s move] from Schalke to QPR is only a matter of time,” reporter Patrick Berger wrote on his official X page on Tuesday.

The good news is that Ba’s transfer is believed to have been held up by red tape, rather than because of any issue during negotiations between the two clubs.

“The player is currently in France,” Berger adds. “[He is] waiting for his visa documents and the green light to travel to the UK.”

Ebere Eze could boost Julien Stephan’s spending power at QPR

A windfall could be on its way at Loftus Road.

QPR will bank £10 million if Arsenal sign Ebere Eze in a £67.5 million deal from Crystal Palace before the window closes. Should that deal go through for the one-time Rangers sensation, it will be interesting to see if QPR end the summer with a late, Eze-funded splurge.

“We will see. The transfer market is until the end of August so we don’t know what will happen until this moment,” former Rennes coach Stephan told reporters late last month.

“I just want to continue to work with all the players and give them the possibility to show their quality. After that, we will decide.

“Now is just the moment for the players to play and to continue to prepare for the beginning of the season.”