Queens Park Rangers appear to have won the race to sign Jake Clarke-Salter, with the defender agreeing a three-year contract at the R's.

The 24-year-old is a free agent as it was revealed he would be leaving Chelsea when his deal expires in the summer and a host of Championship clubs had been monitoring the player, including Coventry City and Sheffield United.

However, Clarke-Salter is closing on a move to QPR, as The Sun revealed he has agreed terms on a contract that will keep him with the Londoners until the summer of 2025.

The next step is for the former Birmingham City loanee to complete a medical, with the update revealing that should take place later this week, with official confirmation of his arrival to follow that.

Providing it's finalised, this will see Clarke-Salter become the first signing of the Michael Beale era, with the former Aston Villa assistant gearing up for his first managerial role after succeeding Mark Warburton.

Beale has previously coached the left-footer when he was a kid coming through the Chelsea academy.

The verdict

This is an excellent bit of business for QPR as they need a new centre-back and Clarke-Salter has shown over the years that he can be a good player in the Championship.

As well as that, he can play out from the back so should suit the style of play that Beale is looking to implement.

This still needs to be signed off completely but it could represent a very good start of the window for the new boss, who will want to be busy in the coming weeks.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.