Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and Bolton Wanderers-linked winger joins Championship club on loan

The 21-year-old is under contract at French club Brest, although will once again be back in England for the 2024/25 campaign. He has linked up with QPR on an initial loan basis, despite reports of interest from elsewhere in the EFL.

Leeds United were linked with the wideman earlier this year, alongside a host of Premier League clubs. In May, Sheffield Wednesday were reported to have made contact over a potential deal.

He was also said to be of interest to Bolton Wanderers earlier in the summer but has now put pen to paper in the capital, joining alongside midfielder Koki Saito. After being unveiled, Dembele told QPR’s official website: “I am really excited. I have heard amazing things about it here and I just can’t wait to get started, to be honest.

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“This is a great platform for me to progress in my career. I spoke to Martí (Cifuentes) and I spoke to Christian (Nourry) and I really felt the ‘want’, which I think is important. The conversations I had with them were good and from there, my decision was made.”

The move marks something of a homecoming for Dembele, who was born in London before moving north of the border and joining Scottish giants Celtic. He featured for the club’s under-20s at the age of just 13 but did not see much senior action after ascending the ranks.

He left Scotland for Troyes in 2022 but found opportunities limited in his maiden campaign. Blackpool took Dembele on loan last season and he lit up League One, taking to life in England’s third tier like a duck to water.

Discussing his time at Bloomfield Road, Dembele said: “That was the most important thing at that stage of my career. I hadn’t had a lot of games before that so I am really grateful to Blackpool for giving me that opportunity. I am hoping to build on that this season.”