Report: Queens Park Rangers still chasing Tim Ream; Fulham interested also

Tim Ream left the New York Red Bulls at the end of the 2011 season, but gone is not forgotten. RBNY's 2010 Defender of the Year has emerged as a popular and important player for Bolton Wanderers, where he was won back-to-back player of the year awards and appeared in more than 40 league games in each of the last two seasons.

Throw in a smattering of USMNT call-ups, and you have a player with some market value. Ream is under contract at Bolton until the summer of 2017 (he signed a new deal in 2014), so his club should be under no particular pressure to sell - other than the pressure that comes with harboring a player coveted by other teams, and every club's need to maximize its resources.

The rumor that Queens Park Rangers is interested in Ream has been out there for some time, but Bolton has resisted QPR's advances to date. Still, mlsssoccer.com is reporting there is now a fourth bid from QPR for Ream's services. And Fulham is alleged to have an interest also.

Ream missed Bolton's opening league game of the season (0-0 with Derby County), and the Capital One Cup loss to Burton Albion. The official explanation for his absence is injury, but when the rumor mill comes calling on a player and that player is absent from the field - it raises eyebrows. Clubs will often protect an asset in line to be transferred from the possibility of injury by limiting playing time.

Bolton head coach Neil Lennon has confirmed the club has rejected at least one bid for Ream and is not inclined to sell the player - though he also told the Bolton News that "every player has his price."

Ream's price may soon become apparent.