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MILLWALL are looking to take Martin Rowlands and Hogan Ephraim on loan from QPR.
Ephraim started the campaign in impressive form but has since lost his first-team place and was recently pushed further down the pecking order by the signings of Wayne Routledge and Petter Vaagen Moen.
Crystal Palace have also expressed some interest in both Rowlands and Ephraim, and any loan deal for the latter may well include a recall clause, giving Rangers the option to take back the former West Ham trainee in the event of injuries to other players.
A temporary move would give Ephraim a chance to play first-team football, although Rangers are more keen to loan out Lee Cook, who is well known to Millwall manager Kenny Jackett after working under him at both QPR and Watford.
Cook recently returned to action following a long spell out with a knee problem, and featured last week in a reserve-team friendly at Tottenham – a match watched by Jackett.
Rowlands had hoped to re-establish himself in the Rs side this season after recovering from cruciate ligament damage, but has fallen out of favour with boss Neil Warnock.
The former QPR captain’s exit has been on the cards for some time, and he could even leave on a permanent basis during this transfer window if an agreement can be reached.
Rowlands, who turns 32 next month, was in excellent form before being injured while playing for the Republic of Ireland during a World Cup qualifier against Montenegro in October 2009.
It came 10 months after the midfielder suffered a similar injury, and appears to have effectively ended his QPR career.
Rowlands has been at Loftus Road for seven and a half years and is the only player from Rangers’ 2004 promotion-winning squad who is still at the club.
But as he looks set to move on, another member of that squad, Dan Shittu, is preparing to return to W12.
Shittu has been with Millwall since October but his four-month contract there has now expired, and he has rejected an extended deal at The Den after being made a lucrative offer by his former club.
The 30-year-old defender has had hamstring trouble for some time, but Rangers are keen to re-sign him in a move that is sure to please many fans.
Both players really are great, says a lot of how lucky we are QPR have such a strong team
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