Cardiff City make Willock first summer signing

Chris Willock made 140 appearances for QPR

Cardiff City have signed winger Chris Willock from Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers.

The 26-year-old becomes the Bluebirds' first summer signing after agreeing a three-year deal.

The former Arsenal youth player joins on a free transfer having been out of contract following four years at Loftus Road.

"The club [have] really convinced me with the project going forward, I think it suits me," Willock told Cardiff's website.

"I spoke to the manager and he has told me the ideas that he has for me and the team."

He added: "Cardiff are always a difficult team to play against. I’ve faced [them] a few times and I think I can offer a lot here.

"I like to get on the ball as much as possible, make things happen, run at players, score and create goals."

London-born Willock, who represented England from under-16 level to the under-20s, had three years in Portugal playing for Benfica.

He also had loans spells with Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion before joining QPR in 2020, where he made 140 appearances and scored 20 goals.

Brother Joe is a midfielder with Premier League side Newcastle United, while his other brother Matt was on the books of Salford until 2022 and represented the Montserrat national team.

“I know a few players from playing against them [and] from my time at Arsenal, I know Aaron Ramsey," Willock added.

"When I was a young kid, I went to train with the first team. Of course, he’s a top player, had a great career which speaks for itself and I can learn from him.

“Over the summer, I’ve been training myself and have had a few training camps, so I’ve been keeping myself ticking over. I feel like I’m in good shape and can only get better from here.”

Cardiff boss Erol Bulut is keen to make further additions to his attacking resources, though he has also targeted former Aston Villa defender Callum Chambers.

The club are hopeful of completing more signings before they a training camp in Austria later this month.