Alex Smithies still looks to be on his way to QPR – but don’t expect the deal to be tied up too quickly.

That’s the message from sources close to the Loftus Road club, who say the devil is in the detail of the near-£2m proposed transfer.

Town boss Chris Powell – preparing his side for Saturday’s trip to Fulham – acknowledges it’s difficult to put a timescale on the Smithies deal, whether it goes through as expected or eventually comes to nothing.

“It’s in the hands of Alex and his advisors and QPR,” said Powell, whose team are 18th in the Championship table after the 1-1 draw with Brighton at the John Smith’s Stadium.

“We will see what develops.

“If it doesn’t happen I’d be happy to have him back.

“But I have to give credit to Joe Murphy. He has done very well.

“He has had a run in the team, which he wanted, and he has responded well.”

Chairman Dean Hoyle says money would be available to buy a new keeper should Smithies move on and admitted the timing of the approach from QPR was problematic all round.

“Nobody is forcing Alex out of the club,” said Hoyle.

“Ultimately, players have the right to run contracts down and leave for free, but if Alex wants to move on then that’s fine.

“I think it’s very difficult for him at the moment because his wife has just had a baby and the timing is not ideal, but that’s life.

“When I got the call from Les Ferdinand last Friday I told him the timing wasn’t great, but he said he had instructions from the owners to put the offer in.

“The offer wasn’t fantastic to start with, but we negotiated hard to get the offer to something close to £2m.

“We think, for a goalkeeper we’ve never had a bid for in the past, and for one of the top earners at the club, it’s a good deal for this club and will also safeguard Alex’s future as well.”