Bournemouth, Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City have all lined moves for Charlton Athletic midfielder Alfie Doughty, with all three sides having now been granted permission to hold talks with the 21-year-old, per TEAMtalk.

Doughty has been the subject of intense speculation over his potential future throughout the January window so far, and both Rangers and Celtic are reportedly interested in striking up a pre-contract agreement with the midfielder. The two Scottish giants are free to negotiate a pre-contract with the 21-year-old due to him being out of contract at the end of the campaign.

The midfielder was an impressive performer for Lee Bowyer’s side in the Championship last term scoring two goals and providing four assists in 29 league appearances. He followed that up by registering one goal and one assist in seven League One games this term, before a serious knee injury has seen him ruled out of action.

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Despite that injury, it has now emerged that Bournemouth, QPR and Stoke are keen to ensure they do not miss out on the 21-year-old and have all made moves to agree a fee with Charlton.

Doughty is now free to hold talks with all three clubs and he is set to face a huge decision over his potential long-term future.

The Verdict

It has looked highly likely that Doughty would not be remaining at Charlton beyond his current deal, with his injury potentially meaning he has even played his last game for the club. However, the 21-year-old’s form has been so impressive over the last year or so, that all of Bournemouth, QPR, Stoke, Celtic and Rangers are willing to take a risk on recruiting him whilst he is out of action.

The midfielder is in the enviable position of being able to freely negotiate terms with five different clubs, which will give him a lot of power in terms of the contract he can demand from them. Moving to either Celtic or Rangers is likely to be a major draw with the prospect of European football and regular trophies.

However, Doughty has already proven he can perform in the Championship so he might want the chance to impress again in the English second-tier.

QPR offer him pretty much-guaranteed game time and have developed young players well in the last few years, while both Bournemouth and Stoke offer the prospect of a genuine promotion battle. It will be a tough choice for the midfielder to have to make.