Monday 25 May 2015 14:09, UK
QPR head coach Chris Ramsey accepts Charlie Austin will want to stay in the Barclays Premier League, even though he says the relegated Londoners will make "every effort" to keep him.
Austin scored his 18th Premier League goal of the season as the curtain came down on Rangers' miserable top-flight stay with a 5-1 thrashing at Leicester on Sunday.
It came just days after 25-year-old Austin was called into the England squad for the friendly away to the Republic of Ireland and the Euro 2016 qualifier in Slovenia next month - and Ramsey fears a parting of the ways as he prepares for a significant summer rebuild at Loftus Road.
"I would imagine anybody who has scored those goals and is going to the England camp would not be looking elsewhere other than to be playing in the Premier League," Ramsey said.
"He'll want to play higher (than the Championship) but we'll make every effort to keep him because he's somebody that we need.
"It's very difficult to buy strikers of that pedigree to come straight into your team and starting scoring immediately.
"That's what we're going to need because we must hit the ground running."
Ramsey took temporary charge in February following Harry Redknapp's resignation, but he oversaw only three wins in 15 matches as Rangers finished bottom of the Premier League and were relegated for the second time in three seasons.
The 53-year-old was handed a three-year contract last week but, with QPR in negotiations over a probable Football League financial fair play penalty which could be up to £58million, the club's ambitions remain uncertain
"Everybody knows the club is going to be in a rebuilding phase," Ramsey said.
"It's important people are patient with what we're going to do with the long-term plan of the club and making sure we're on a stable footing for a long time."
Asked if he had any idea how many players would be leaving this summer, Ramsey replied: "No, most of it is out of my hands.
"I'll have a discussion with Les (Ferdinand, QPR director of football) and the owners and everybody will know who's going to be there and who's not staying quite quickly.
"We've looked at targets but we know our budget is going to be limited and that's why patience is going to be important.
"We have to see what markets we're buying from. I would say once we establish that, we'll be aware if we are going to make that immediate attempt to bounce straight back or whether we're going to consolidate."
