QPR’s search for a replacement for Lee Camp seems set to lead them back to the Czech Republic. Meanwhile Dexter Blackstock looks set to stay at Loftus Road after all.

For an English club QPR have worked their way through an unusually high amount of Czech goalkeepers in the past couple of decades with Jan Stejskal, Lukek Miklosko and current number one Radek Cerny all enjoying successful spells at Loftus Road. Now it seems they could be about to add a fourth name to that laist as the hunt for a replacement for Lee Camp heats up. Martin Lejsal will travel with the R’s to Slovenia this week for pre-season training and friendly matches as he aims to do enough to persuade Jim Magilton to sign him permanently. The FC Brno stopper, who endured a difficult campaign last season by all accounts, has already been in negotiations with Rangers who are hoping to fend off interest from other English clubs to secure their man.

Lejsal told Czech media: "I am set to travel with then to a training camp this week. My agent says he has some other offers, but this is a good one and a specific one. He has spoken with the manager and he wanted me to arrive. My dream is to play for some English club. The Premier League is the world's best league nowadays and I would like to play in it at some point so I am doing all I can to be as close as possible.”

Lejsal will be joined in Slovenia by Dexter Blackstock who had seemed all set for a summer move to Nottingham Forest after spending time on loan there at the end of last season but now seems set to prolong his stay at Loftus Road by another year at least. Blackstock, whose contract expires at the end of the coming season, told the BBC: “Unless that changes or anything happens in the meantime I'll be a QPR player for next season. I went on loan for the last six games of the season, but it was just a loan and there was nothing permanent in the deal. Jim's been very good, the way he wants us to play is in the right way and right manner. I think he's got the respect of the players straight away.”

One player not joining the R’s this summer is Man Utd defender Richard Eckersley who has snubbed a season long loan at Loftus Road, and an extended deal at Old Trafford, to instead sign a permanent contract with newly promoted Premiership side Burnley. The young full back will line up against United for Burnley in the Claret’s first home game of the season should the deal progress.

Despite missing out on Eckersley manager Jim Magilton remains hopeful of putting a good QPR squad together for the new season telling the BBC: “We've lost a goalkeeper and obviously a left-back so we'll be trying in the next couple of weeks to bring a few new signings in. If a good player comes along we'll try and entice him to London and entice him to QPR and let's hope that happens. I'll go and identify a player, present it to the board and if the board say 'yes', wonderful, and we'll say 'A, B, C - one, two, three' whatever it takes to get good players into the club.”

Magilton has also been speaking to the club’s official website from Slovenia where the team arrived on Monday night ahead of their first warm up match against NK Celje on Wednesday. Magilton said: “This is a great opportunity for me to get to know the lads, and for them to get to know me and my staff too. I need to get to know what makes them tick - as players and as people. Team bonding plays a crucial role throughout the course of a season and we'll be looking to get the very best out of all the lads' personalities. We're here to work hard, make no mistake about that. It's a training camp totally geared towards the start of the season on August 8. Everything we're doing now is in preparation for the opening day fixture against Blackpool.”

Off the field the club has quashed speculation that it was about to reintroduce the terribly unpopular match banding system when it came to walk up ticket prices by releasing the ticket costs for the coming season. Rangers claim to have sold 70% of the season tickets they shifted last season despite widespread claims sales have been disastrous following a disappointing season last time out. Next season Rangers fans intending to pay for individual matches will pay £30 in the Upper Loft, £25 in the Lower Loft and £20 in the Paddocks. Under 8 tickets remain available for free and there are further discounts for young adults, students and seniors. Full details can be found here.

Elsewhere new head of youth at QPR Stephen Gallen has been speaking to the club’s official website about his plan for the junior set up at Rangers and the resigning of Marc Bircham as a coach. He said “I'm pleased we've got Birchy in though. He has got bundles of energy and has a massive passion for the football club. He's a QPR fan like myself and I'm really pleased we've got some QPR people on board. Birch has been brought up in the finest traditions of QPR. And his experience will be invaluable, especially at an age group where he can influence the players. He's an honest guy and the young lads are already looking up him, which is excellent. He's been on his A license and he's been doing coaching behind the scenes, so it's not totally new to him, and I've got no doubts he'll be absolutely fine.”

I've got some different ideas that I want to play around with, based around the players we've got in both age groups. We'll experiment with the 4-3-3 we've played for the last few years and we'll also look at 3-5-2 as well. The lads can always fall back into a 4-4-2 when required, because the majority of them have grown up with it. The main focus is bringing players through for Jim and the first team backroom staff to look at. I'm speaking regularly to the manager about the group we've got and those conversations will continue throughout the season.”

In former QPR news released midfielder Danny Maguire will not be joining Crystal Palace after all after Neil Warnock decided to spend his budget in other areas. Maguire spent the end of last season on loan at League One side Yeovil.

Elsewhere in the Championship today newly relegated West Brom have turned down a Fulham bid for midfielder Jonathan Greening. Plymouth have sold unsettled striker Jermaine Easter to MK Dons, Bristol City’s summer spending continues with a £500k capture of Derby defender Lewin Nyatanga following yesterday’s signing of Ipswich striker Danny Haynes. Ambitious big spenders Nottingham Forest have been linked with a £1.4m move for Coventry full back Dan Fox which, despite the fee, would be a steal in my eyes and is definitely a signing we should be looking at ourselves.

Photo: Action Images

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