EXCLUSIVE: Samba SOS! QPR launch £10m swoop for giant defender but move could spark fight with Premier League big boys



QPR have made a dramatic £10million offer for Christopher Samba – the signing they believe will keep them in the Barclays Premier League.

Giant defender Samba, 28, plays for Russian moneybags Anzhi Makhachkala but Rangers hope his desire to return to England will seal the deal, with the transfer deadline edging closer.

However, their move may spark interest from rival teams - including Arsenal and Tottenham, who have both previously shown interest.



Samba’s family have remained in England while he lives in an apartment in Moscow and it is believed he wants to come back to the Premier League.



Giant: Christopher Samba left Anzhi for QPR in January

Sources in Russia say Rangers have already had one bid rejected but the increased offer was made on Monday night. There has been no formal response from Anzhi yet but Sportsmail understands they will be reluctant to sell.



Chairman Tony Fernandes is backing Harry Redknapp and the club will offer Samba a transfer get-out clause if they are relegated. They have already signed Loic Remy from Marseille for £8m and he has a similar agreement with them.



Samba, the former Blackburn powerhouse, was first brought to England by Mark Hughes, when he was spotted playing as an emergency centre forward for Hertha Berlin.



The French-born Congo centre half is rated by Hughes as one of his finest signings. He made more than 160 league appearances during his time at Ewood Park. He also captained the team – and Redknapp is desperate for leaders.



In the market: Harry Redknapp is aiming to bring in reinforcements at QPR

Blackburn sold Samba, who is 6ft 4in, for £10m to the Russian club and he is reported to earn around £100,000-a-week. Rangers will need to match that deal.



Anzhi owner, Russian billionaire Suleiman Kerimov, has pumped money into the club and funded player wages. Samba has spoken positively of his time at the club.



The players live in Moscow and fly two hours to poverty-stricken Dagestan for home matches. Anzhi have spent more than £100m in the transfer market, including signing Samuel Eto’o. They will not be bullied into selling but may feel they have concede if Samba insists on leaving.



‘When I reached the crossroads and decided to leave Blackburn, they put a high valuation on my head. Only Anzhi decided I was good enough. It was a big decision, but when I saw the players being signed, and a coach like Guus Hiddink, then I understood the project is real,' he told the Guardian earlier this month.



Missed: Samba was a revelation for Blackburn before being sold to Russia

Samba has been involved in a number of racist incidents during his time in Russia but has said previously that he would not leave the country to run away from racists.



He issued a statement following an incident when a banana was thrown at him by supporters during a match against Lokomotiv Moscow. Samba threw the banana back and later had to apologise for doing so. His club described the incident as ‘idiotic’.



He later said: ‘I feel extremely passionately about racism in football and will never let the small community of racists break me, I'm a strong character and will keep fighting for my team.

'I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Russia and although I was of course angry at the racism incident, along with the rest of the football world, racist issues here are no different to what I have experienced in other countries.’



