Queens Park Rangers forward Lyndon Dykes is currently being monitored by Premier League clubs Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley, as per a report from the Daily Mail.

The Scotland international was in superb form for both club and country earlier in the season, scoring six goals in his opening 13 league games of the season and scoring in four consecutive World Cup qualifiers for Steve Clarke's men between September and October.

With this, he has managed to establish himself as Mark Warburton's main man up top despite the arrival of Andre Gray in the summer and the presence of Charlie Austin up top, playing as a lone man and with a strike partner at different stages of the campaign.

 

 

Signing a four-year contract on his arrival from Livingston, he looks set to remain in west London for the foreseeable future with his contract at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium not running out until the summer of 2024.

However, two top-tier sides Brighton and Burnley have been put on high alert by his scintillating run of form early on in 2021/22 and the R's may now face a bitter battle to retain the Australia-born 26-year-old.

In October, Dykes revealed it was his dream to ply his trade in the top tier of English football, though he also admitted to Football Scotland that he wanted to achieve that current aim with QPR.

Manager Warburton also stated during the same month that his key players would only go if they met the club's valuation, potentially signalling a stand-off between the R's and interested sides if they did launch a bid for the forward in January, with the 26-year-old making 20 competitive appearances in total so far this season.

The Verdict:

This interest just shows why officials in the English capital were keen on tying him down to a four-year deal - and this move to make his contract that long should be commended because they will now be able to hold old for a sizeable fee for his services.

And this puts the R's in a win-win situation. If they did sell him, they would have the funds generated from his sale to bring in a replacement or two and address other areas.

But the most likely outcome at this stage is him remaining at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium for the remainder of the season, probably the best option for both his current side and the player, with a move mid-season potentially unsettling him with the need to make the adaptation to top tier football straight away.

And for a forward top-flight sides would be relying on to score the goals, a poor start at a new club would be noticeable, potentially setting a negative tone for the remainder of his spell there.

Dykes does seem to be reasonably settled in London though, so it would be a major surprise if he was to push for a move at this stage, especially with the Championship side firmly in contention to return to the Premier League.