QUEENS Park Rangers are ready to table a substantial bid for Bristol City defender Bradley Orr.

A long-time admirer of Orr, Rangers manager Neil Warnock wants the full-back at Loftus Road next season and is prepared to tempt City with an offer of £500,000.

Orr, pictured, whose Ashton Gate deal expires at the end of next season, has been offered an extension and has been in talks with the club for the past fortnight.

His delay in signing has alerted other clubs and Rangers are likely to face competition from Coca-Cola Championship rivals Ipswich Town.

But a report in a Sunday national newspaper that suggested City have already accepted an offer from QPR for their experienced right-back is premature. A City spokesman confirmed: "There has been no formal offer from Queens Park Rangers for Bradley.

"At the moment, there is a lot of talk, but nothing more than that. They have not been in contact with us.

"But that does not mean there is nothing going on behind the scenes and a bid may well be in the offing."

New City manager Steve Coppell would prefer not to lose Orr, who has established himself as one of the more dependable right-backs in the Championship over the past three seasons.

Although every player has his price, QPR will have to offer more than £500,000 if they want to lure Orr away from Bristol. "Bradley has been offered an extremely good deal by the club and Steve Coppell does not want him to go," added the club spokesman.

"We are aware of the figures that are being bandied around in the press and, I can assure you, we would not accept a total package worth £500,000. Anyone wanting to sign Bradley would have to do better than that.

"There are some clubs that don't seem to mind how much they spend, but we are in a position where we don't have to sell if we don't want to."

Warnock has been promised money to spend in the transfer market and is also reported to be interested in Crystal Palace forward Darren Ambrose.

Although Coppell would rather keep Orr at the club, he could be tempted to sell the former Newcastle player if the price is right.

City already have a potential long-term replacement in the form of Welsh international Christian Ribeiro, who broke in to the first team towards the end of last season.

A product of the Ashton Gate Academy, the 19-year-old has emerged as a player of rich promise and will be looking to establish himself as a regular choice in the first team under Coppell.