QPR set sights on Scott Parker and Joe Cole as they wait for Joey Barton to accept their offer
Neil Warnock hopes to bring in the out of favour Liverpool playmaker on a season-long loan in addition to West Ham's coveted England midfielder as he seeks to bolster his squadQPR are hoping to sign Scott Parker and Joe Cole in the final days of the transfer window as their swoop for Joey Barton hangs in the balance.
Manager Neil Warnock reiterated on Thursday that he wants to bring in up to five new players by the deadline next Wednesday night.
Warnock wants to sign Joe Cole on a season-long loan from Liverpool and entice Scott Parker from West Ham on a permanent deal.
Rangers have already had a £4 million bid for Parker rejected and are ready to make another move over the coming days.Barton was at Rangers’ Harlington training ground for the second time in 24 hours this afternoon to undergo the second part of his medical.
The 28-year-old travelled to London last night and underwent initial tests as Rangers offered a deal that will smash their wage structure in the hope of bringing him to Loftus Road.
However, the midfielder indicated this afternoon that he has still not made up his mind about leaving Newcastle United for QPR.
Speaking at Thursday lunchtime, he said: “I am not sure. There are a number of things still to be sorted out and it is a process that you have to take it step by step.
“I've not made a final decision yet, but after speaking to the club they have got big ambitions and I had to see what they had to say and go through the medical just in case a deal happens.
“The latest is we are completing the final stages of the medical, get that over and done with and see where we are at.”
Worryingly for QPR, Barton later tweeted: “Need some thinking time and space.”
The midfielder, who is 29 next week, was made available for transfer this summer after criticising Newcastle’s recruitment policy on Twitter, following the breakdown of his contract talks.
New owner Tony Fernandes has promised to back Warnock to the hilt in the last week of the window and the manager’s first aim is to sign Barton in time for him to feature in QPR’s trip to Wigan Athletic on Saturday.
Speaking today, Warnock said: “I think we're lucky to be looking at a player like that. It shows how ambitious the chairman [Tony Fernandes] is. He listened to the players I would like to bring in and Joey was one of them.
“Joey will be an outstanding player week in, week out. He is a super player and I've always like him. He knows that. 'I tried to sign him a couple of times, once at Sheffield United.
“We've just got down the line and we hope to bring in another four or five before next Wednesday night.”
http://www.goal.com/en/news/596/exclusive/2011/08/25/2635872/qpr-set-sights-on-scott-parker-and-joe-cole-as-they-wait-for
