Some players reach a point at which they look simply too good for the Championship and the step up to Premier League seems to be a matter of when and not if, for QPR defender Rob Dickie that moment is fast approaching. 

Dickie took the step up to the Championship brilliantly last season, scooping the R's Player of the Season award as he helped the west London club to a ninth-place finish.

The £2 million that was paid to Oxford United for the centre-back is fast looking an absolute steal and it seems likely that we'll soon be debating a different fee.

Football Insider has reported that Leeds United, Newcastle United, and Wolves are all weighing up an offer for Dickie, meaning we could be set for a transfer tug-of-war for the 25-year-old in the last few weeks of the transfer window.

Given QPR look set to launch their strongest promotion push since the 2012/13 campaign, which saw them win the Championship play-off final, it's no surprise that the west London club are understood to be reluctant to let Dickie leave – with Mark Warburton rubbishing rumours about the defender's future earlier this week.

With three and a half years still left on his Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium contract, the R's are well within their rights to reject any offers made for him in the last few weeks of the current window but this is not a problem that's likely to go away any time soon.

The start made to the season by the centre-back, which has seen him look near-flawless both defensively and in possession as well as scoring three times in three games, is further evidence that last season was far more than just a flash in the pan.

Oxford fans will tell you that Dickie has looked like a player with a big future a for a long while now but it seems other English clubs are now catching up.

The centre-back's importance to the R's and their promotion push means we may see them stand firm over the next few weeks but even if he stays in west London beyond the end of August the clock is now ticking.

Should he remain on his current trajectory, you feel Dickie will make the step up to the Premier League by next summer at the latest – with or without QPR.