And he could now be set to cross the west London divide, with QPR boss Mark Hughes confirming advanced discussions have taken place as he looks to add the Portuguese defender to his ranks.

“We are having discussions with the boy and his advisors and it is something we are keen to do if we can,” he said. We think we are very close but hopefully in the next few hours that will be shaped and we will have a better understanding about whether that is possible.

“We think we are very close to being able to bring him in but as usual I don’t really like talking about players we haven’t signed until we actually do.”

Bosingwa joined Chelsea for around £16million four years ago and went on to win the Champions League, Barclays Premier League, three FA Cups and the Community Shield.

He had previously been part of Porto’s 2004 Champions League-winning squad and Hughes believes the signing of a player like Bosingwa would show how the club is progressing.

“He is the right quality and has a lot of football left in him as well, he is only 29 and we would be delighted if we could bring him to the club,” he said.

“I think he now understands what we are trying to do here and that is why players of his ilk are seriously considering coming to Queens Park Rangers now.”

Despite being so highly decorated, Bosingwa came under fire for his defending throughout his Stamford Bridge career and eventually struggled to hold down a regular place in the side.

He did manage to go out on a high, helping successfully shackle Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery in the Champions League final.

Otherwise, some of his better performances came playing out of position, most notably at left-back against Lionel Messi in the 2009 semi-final with Barcelona and as an emergency centre-back in this season’s semi against the same opponents.

Inter Milan, Anzhi Makhachkala and Monaco have all been linked with the defender but it appears QPR are set to secure his services and make him their eighth signing of the summer.