Queens Park Rangers defender Rob Dickie is attracting significant interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Shields Gazette, who claim that the QPR centre-back is on Newcastle United's list of potential summer targets, with a number of the Magpies' current options in the heart of defence looking likely to depart St. James' Park in the coming weeks.

Warburton will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Dickie has been in the QPR backline this season, the news of interest from a Premier League side is likely to come as gutting news for Mark Warburton, as losing the defender this summer would seriously damage his side's chances of a promotion push next term.

Over his 43 Championship appearances for the Rs this year, the £2.25m-rated centre-back scored three goals and provided one assist, as well as making an average of 1.3 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and four clearances per game.

These returns saw the 25-year-old earn a seasonal WhoScored match rating of 7.17, ranking him as QPR's second-best performer in the league, as well as the joint seventh-best player in the Championship as a whole.

And, with Warburton having already confirmed the signing of Jordy de Wijs this summer - Dickie's centre-back partner in the second half of the season, with the 26-year-old being the only Rs player to better the Englishman's average WhoScored match rating - losing half of this fantastic partnership in the upcoming transfer would undoubtedly come as a gutting blow for the 58-year-old.

However, with the man Karl Robinson dubbed a "magnificent" defender under contract until 2024 at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, QPR are certainly under no pressure to sell this summer - unless, that is, Dickie himself begins to push for a move.

In other news: Fresh transfer update emerges on "outstanding" £6m beast that'll have QPR fans buzzing - opinion