Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit issues claim on QPR's chances of signing Southampton FC star | OneFootball

Speaking exclusively with FLW, Lee Hendrie has been speaking on QPR's chances of striking a permanent deal for Southampton loanee Ronnie Edwards.

Ronnie Edwards has been enjoying a highly fruitful loan spell with Queens Park Rangers ever since his January switch from Southampton.

The young centre-back has slotted straight into Marti Cifuentes' starting XI, and has already been showing why he's represented England at various youth levels.

A former Peterborough United star, Edwards signed for Southampton from the League One side last summer, in a deal understood to have been worth £3m.

Edwards signed a four-year contract with the Saints, and made one appearance in both the Premier League and the Carabao Cup this season before moving to QPR.

"Super player" - Lee Hendrie outlines QPR's chances of striking permanent Ronnie Edwards deal this summer

Speaking exclusively with Football League World, we asked Sky Sports pundit and former player, Lee Hendrie: 'Do you think QPR have any chance of signing Southampton centre-back Ronnie Edwards on a permanent deal this summer?'

Hendrie said: "I think that's going to be a tough one for QPR, I really do.

"I think Ronnie Edwards is a super player, I really do. I know he hasn't had his chance at Southampton, but I do feel that at QPR he has been very standout since he's come in.

"He's shown his quality. The only problem is that I think the investment plan and obviously affording to see if they can keep him at QPR. I do feel that there will be other clubs that will be certainly looking to take him if Southampton don't want to keep him.

"That's the big question. Maybe a change in management, which it does look that way, I think they'll see that he's got that quality in the Championship, and he's proved that at QPR.

"So, I do think that it will be a real big ask to steal that signature of Ronnie Edwards."

Southampton will surely want to take a look at Edwards ahead of their expected return to Championship football

With Southampton seemingly holding no realistic hope of a Premier League stay of execution this season, plans must already be underway for how they will go about making an instant return to the top flight next season.

The Saints have shipped 70 goals in 29 Premier League games so far this season, with their average of 2.4 goals conceded per game unsurprisingly ranking them rock-bottom of the top flight in that category - per FotMob.

As such, they are likely to make some sweeping changes to their defence, and indeed the majority of their squad in the summer, in order to ensure they are best-placed to be competing at the top of the Championship next term.

To do that, they will need as many proven performers at second tier level as they can get, and Edwards has shown himself to be a classy central defender at that level, both with Peterborough during the 2021/22 season, and in his short time with QPR this year.

Therefore, Southampton, at the very least, will surely want to take a long look at their talented young centre-back during pre-season, and given the fact they signed him to a four-year contract last summer, that would suggest there's a considerable amount of confidence at St. Mary's that he can be a big part of the club's future.