QPR's £5m Samba bid kicks off sales

Neil Warnock has put the wheels in motion as he looks to add two central defenders and one striker in the January sales by making a £5m bid for the Blackburn Rovers defender Christopher Samba.

The Queen's Park Rangers manager has made the 27-year-old Congolese his first permanent target of the transfer window, but he is also keen to add out-of-favour Chelsea stopper Alex.

If either of those deals falls through, he is likely to bid for Sunderland defender Nedum Onuoha, although he will face competition from Wolves.

Warnock has promised signings to help QPR climb away from the relegation zone. He signed Manchester United's striker Federico Macheda on loan in midweek, but has admitted he needs to strengthen his defence.

Samba has made 160 Premier League appearances, scoring 16 goals but Warnock may have a fight on his hands as Tottenham Hotspur are also reported to be interested.

Blackburn have confirmed that assistant manager Paul Clement has left the club and is expected to join Paris St-Germain, to be reunited with ex-Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Meanwhile, the Norwich manager, Paul Lambert, has responded angrily to QPR claims that Bradley Johnson "conned" the referee in the Premier League game at Loftus Road.

Norwich won 2-1 after QPR's Joey Barton was sent off following a clash of heads with Johnson. Midfielder Barton, 29, and Warnock were critical of Johnson for his part in the dismissal. But Lambert labelled QPR's complaints "ludicrous" and insisted: "My player is not a cheat. If you are going to label someone that, then have a bit of substance to it."