Doncaster Rovers midfielder Ben Whiteman missed out on the League One club’s impressive 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers on Saturday in the FA Cup third round with his head having been turned amid reported interest from QPR and Preston.

Whiteman has been the subject of intense speculation surrounding his potential future over the last week, with both Preston and QPR having made bids to Doncaster for the midfielder. The 24-year-old though has remained with the Yorkshire club with those bids having been deemed to be far short of Doncaster’s valuation of the midfielder.

The 24-year-old is thought to have had his head turned by the offers made by both QPR and Preston and is considering his potential future. That is being reported as the reason why he missed out on the FA Cup tie at Blackburn, meaning Doncaster may have to reluctantly admit it could be difficult to keep him amid interest from the Championship, as per the Doncaster Free Press.

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The midfielder is thought to be preferring a move to Preston due to the closer proximity it has to his Greater Manchester home. However, there is still a long way to go in the negotiations with Doncaster likely to be holding firm over the valuation of him regardless of the change in his stance, according to  these latest reports.

The verdict

This is a major potential boost for both Preston and QPR, although it looks to be more significant for the Lilywhites at this stage. Whiteman is an excellent midfielder and he would be a perfect potential replacement for the likes of Ben Pearson and Daniel Johnson, who have yet to commit to new deals at Deepdale.

Given all of the intense speculation surrounding his future in the last few weeks it is no surprise to see the 24-year-old contemplating over his potential future. That means it was probably the right call to take him out of the spotlight for the game against Blackburn. The midfielder has now got the chance to come to the decision he wants over his future.

However, Preston or QPR would still have to improve upon their initial valuation of the midfielder. It would be a major mistake for the Lilywhites in particular not to at least consider making an improved bid now given they know Whiteman is open to a move. Whether that could match Doncaster’s valuation remains to be seen though.