There are a number of reasons why this summer’s transfer window will be a hectic one.

For Championship clubs, the arms race to reach the Premier League will gather even greater importance than usual given the financial peril that many find themselves in following the disruption to the 2019/20 campaign.

And top-flight sides will surely be more circumspect in their transfer activity, perhaps taking more chances on Championship and Football League targets rather than splashing out on big-money signings from the continent.

As anybody that follows the English second-tier knows, there is an abundance of talent in the Championship just waiting to be given a chance on the big stage. In this article, we’ve taken a look at five probable targets that the vultures will be circulating over in the summer.

We’ve not included the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Matheus Pereira because they are likely to be promoted with Leeds and West Brom anyway, as speculated by the Mr Green betting odds. Both are red-hot favourites according to the bookmaker's Championship promotion odds, and as of next season perhaps their main concern will be making a mockery of their prices in the Premier League relegation market.

Instead, we’ve focused on those who would likely be taking a step up on the footballing ladder.

Eberechi Eze (QPR)

At the time of writing, only two teams – West Brom and Brentford – had scored more Championship goals this season than QPR, and the focal point of Mark Warburton’s side is Eberechi Eze.

The 21-year-old has been an absolute revelation in what is really only his second full campaign in senior football. Playing from the left flank or in the classic number ten role, Eze has contributed twelve goals and eight assists in 37 appearances this term.

But more than that quantifiable output, the Nigerian has been key in starting the most promising of QPR’s attacking moves and is a constant and considerable thorn in the side of the unlucky individual tasked with marking him – 3.00 completed dribbles per 90 minutes and 1.90 key passes is testament to that.

Growing in maturity, the world really is Eze’s for the taking.

Ollie Watkins (Brentford)

There’s that saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Ollie Watkins has torn up that sentiment in 2019/20.

Okay, so at 24 he cannot be described as ‘old’ by any measure, but Watkins has had to learn some new tricks nonetheless, having been switched from the wing to the centre forward’s role in Thomas Frank’s exciting Brentford side.

The result? 22 goals in 37 games as part of a formidable 'BMW' partnership with wide men Saïd Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo.

Proven goalscorers are worth their weight in gold in the transfer market, and Watkins can now firmly be categorised in that camp.

Matty Cash (Nottingham Forest)

Another young star that has undergone something of a career makeover is Matty Cash.

Typically deployed as a winger or central midfielder in the past, the 22-year-old has been shuffled to right back in Sabri Lamouchi’s revolution at Nottingham Forest.

It’s a move that has suited Cash well too, allowing him to harness his natural attacking flair while taking on extra defensive responsibilities.

Four assists and 1.10 key passes per game have been matched by some impressive statistics in his defensive work, including 2.80 tackles per 90 minutes – the eighth-best in the Championship, 2.80 clearances and 1.40 interceptions.

Antonee Robinson (Wigan Athletic)

One of the more curious stories to come out of the January transfer window was Antonee Robinson’s proposed switch to AC Milan.

The Wigan full back had actually agreed terms with the Rossoneri before a failed medical – the 22-year-old was found to have an irregular heartbeat – scuppered his dream move.

That does not detract from Robinson’s outstanding season with the Latics, where he has shown real defensive promise having recorded 2.80 clearances, 2.30 tackles and 2.00 interceptions per 90 minutes on average.

Add into the mix a comfort when in possession down the left-hand side and a Premier League side could gazump AC Milan for his signature this summer.

John Swift (Reading)

It’s rare for a player at a mid-table team to really catch the eye.

And that’s perhaps why the brilliance of John Swift has largely gone under the radar this term – everywhere except at the Madejski Stadium, that is.

The midfielder sits third in the Championship assists charts – not bad at all given that reading’s ‘goals for’ tally is the eighth worse in the division, and only Pereira has made more key passes per 90 minutes than Swift.

An excellent ball carrier who is also willing to put a defensive shift in, the 24-year-old is – without meaning disrespect to the Royals – surely destined for bigger and better things.

Swift, and the other four players on the list, will surely be on the radar of Premier League scouts up and down the land.