After falling to defeat against Aston Villa at the weekend, QPR still sit in a precarious position and occupy a spot just three points above the bottom three.

With crucial fixtures against Brighton and Wolves to finish 2016, it's clear Ian Holloway's side needs strengthening.

Given their uncomfortable position in the Championship table, QPR cannot afford to sit around and wait in January to secure the men they need and Holloway needs to be prepared to secure early deals within the first week of the mid-season window opening.

Fortunately, there is plenty of options out there for the struggling West London side and we've identified three top-targets that Holloway's side need to push to secure early next month.

Should they land this trio, the push for survival will receive a significant boost.

The sooner the results come to QPR the better and these arrivals can ensure more positive results are around the corner.

Chuba Akpom

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2017 is set to be a huge year for the Arsenal man and it's likely he'll spend the second-half of the season on-loan once again, with the Gunners already boasting Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Ayoze Perez, with Danny Welbeck still to return.

Akpom's path to first-team football is blocked at the Emirates and securing a loan deal in January could be beneficial in the long-term for QPR, as Akpom's signature may be available on a permanent deal next summer and the R's could enjoy his services for longer, before selling for a profit in the same fashion that Wolves did previously with Benik Afobe.

Matty Taylor

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The 26-year-old has been in excellent form for Bristol Rovers this season and boasts an impressive record of 16 goals in 26 appearances, with a further five assists to his name.

Despite his efforts, his side sit in mid-table and a jump to the Championship could appeal for the player come the New Year.

QPR would present an intriguing option for Matty Taylor and it wouldn't be too much of a step-up, whilst he'd probably like that fact that he would become the main man in attack at Loftus Road, in a side that's struggling to find a stand-out scorer amongst their ranks.

Kevin Long

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The 26-year-old Burnley man has failed to breakthrough at Turf Moor this season, with his one senior appearance coming in the EFL Cup way back in August.

In fact, since promotion to the senior squad six years ago, Long has just 18 league appearances to his name.

It's pretty clear a permanent exit for Long would be the best course of action and QPR could benefit from the defender's signature, as he should be able to settle quickly due to the fact he's become well adversed to the Football League following numerous loan spells.