Queens Park Rangers reporter Dan Bennett looks at the players out of contract at the club and the current situation with player contracts due to the season suspension.
It remains unclear as to what will happen with player contracts due to expire in the summer for those at English Football League (EFL) clubs, with a decision yet to be made on when the season will resume.
The EFL sent out a letter to clubs last week setting out plans to finish the summer in 56 days “during the summer months”, with the campaign currently suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
But clubs across the divisions, including QPR, have players whose contracts are due to expire in the summer, leaving question marks around whether they would be able to play if the season was played beyond the expiration dates.
Fifa has already approved plans for contracts to be extended until the end of the season, something R’s boss Mark Warburton has argued should happen, and will also allow transfer windows to be moved because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on football.
Rangers captain Grant Hall has been a constant in Mark Warburton’s side this season but his contract is due to expire in the summer.
The 28-year-old has struggled with injury problems in the past, missing 18 months of football because of knee tendonitis, but was handed the captaincy at the start of this season and has missed just a few games through injury.
Losing Hall before the season actually ends would be a huge blow for Warburton, with the former Spurs man having formed a good partnership with Yoann Barbet before the season was suspended.
It remains to be seen whether Hall will sign a new deal with the club, having first joined the club back in 2015, but he is clearly favoured by his manager.
Another central defender, Toni Leistner, left the club in January to join FC Koln in Germany on loan until the end of the season and was supposed to come back to west London this summer.
Under Fifa’s proposals, Leistner could see out the season in Germany whenever their campaign finishes but there is a possibility he could return to the R’s to finish the season in the Championship.
Another potential problem for Warburton is that right-back Angel Rangel’s contract is also due to run out this summer.
At 37, Rangel is coming to the very end of his career but has still offered plenty this season and has expressed a desire to stay at the club beyond the end of his contract.
QPR hold options to extend the contracts of Marc Pugh and Geoff Cameron by a year and could do so soon, especially if there is no finalised agreement announced over all expiring contacts being extended until the end of the season.
34-year-old Cameron is also coming to the end of his career but has featured on 29 occasions this season, while his versatility makes him a very useful option.
Pugh offers a strong work ethic out wide and has chipped in with two goals and three assists during the campaign, showing he is a useful asset to Warburton and, like Cameron, still has plenty to offer.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here