Fernandes Says 'First Step' Made to New Stadium
Move from Loftus Road to 45,000 capacity ground could be closer
The long discussed move away from Loftus Road for Queens Park Rangers is moving towards reality according to a statement from chairman Tony Fernandes.
He has said that he believes the club have made a "great first step" towards a new home which is widely believed at this stage to be in the White City area. The club are understood to have identified three potential sites which would allow a capacity of 45,000 compared to the current 18,000.
Tony Fernandes has used Twitter to keep fans of the club informed about the progress of negotiations on the stadium and on Friday he tweeted, "Excellent stadium meeting Wow. Looks great. Going to make big announcement. Hopefully see amit [Bhatia, vice-chairman] in a few hours to brief him. Wow."
This was followed by news on July 9 that the club were to make an announcement which they said could help turn them into a "global" brand.
QPR said: "The announcement will put the QPR brand on a global scale and is further demonstration of the board's continuing efforts to move the club forward and become established in the Barclays Premier League.
"QPR chairman Tony Fernandes, vice-chairman Amit Bhatia, manager Mark Hughes and CEO Philip Beard will all be in attendance."
Before the conference, many fans speculated that this announcement would offer more information about a possible move, but instead, the club announced the signing of South Korean midfielder Ji-Sung Park.
Park - a global phenomenon with a vast medal haul to his name - has penned a two year-deal at Loftus Road, after Rangers agreed an undisclosed fee with Manchester United for the midfielder's services.
The 31 year-old's arrival in W12 represents a significant transfer for QPR boss Mark Hughes, who expressed his delight at the signing, commenting: "This is a real coup for QPR."
Tony Fernandes also hailed the arrival of the South Korean superstar, adding: "I'm overjoyed and can't wait to see him in a QPR shirt.
"I am the ultimate dreamer and myself and Mark have worked incredibly hard to make this happen. Ji has bought into the story and we couldn't be more delighted.
"What started as a little idea is now a reality and it shows that people are beginning to buy into our story.
"It shows out determination and our ambition to build this Club.
"Ji is a global star, with a Champions League winner's medal to his name, and he is as excited about this move as we all are."
Now fans are left waiting once again to find out if a move is imminent.