Watford hope to re-sign Henri Lansbury and Heidar Helguson next season but Malky Mackay has admitted the Queens Park Rangers striker’s wages could be a stumbling block.

Hornets boss Mackay has told Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that the Gunners and the England Under-21 international would both benefit more if he returned to Vicarage Road next season, rather than being used sparingly at the Emirates Stadium.

The Scot has also stated in the past that he would like to sign Helguson permanently if possible, but both Mackay and the Iceland international have admitted that wages could prevent the transfer taking place.

Lansbury made 39 appearances for Watford and has noticeably improved as the season went on, ending his spell with the Hornets by firing in a 30-yard screamer against Coventry City on Sunday.

When asked whether he would like to re-sign Lansbury, Mackay replied: “Absolutely. He has progressed from someone who was inconsistent coming in here to someone who is very consistent now. It is about progression.

“Were he to go back and go into the Premier League, would he play every week and progress every week? I am not sure about that.

“If he comes back to us, he will play another 50 Championship games, he is a year stronger and he is sent back a regular England Under-21 international.

“I am delighted he has been here. He is a fine young man who wants to be a footballer,” Mackay continued.

“His attitude since he has been here has been fantastic. He joined in with the group immediately and that is not something that can always be said about players coming in from other clubs.

“I said the same about Tom Cleverley. You have to act like a Watford player and he has done that and it paid him back because he is now more experienced and goes back an England footballer.

“If we can get him back then I think it will be good for him, good for Arsenal and good for us.”

Lansbury wanted to speak to Wenger before stating whether he wanted to go out on loan once again.

He said: “Obviously I have to go back and speak to the boss and after pre-season see what happens.”

Helguson was a lot clearer regarding where he wants to be next season.

When asked if he hopes to return, Helguson replied: “If things get sorted out and we can come to some sort of an agreement then yes, absolutely.”

Helguson, who scored 11 goals in 29 matches during his two loan spells at Watford this season, plans to speak to new Rangers manager Neil Warnock in the next few weeks to discuss his future.

Watford’s financial problems are well documented and Mackay claimed “it is something that is not in our control”.

Mackay said: “He has another year left at a football club which has another set of management and another set of directors involved.

“That is going to be a trickier situation [than Lansbury’s] and is obviously at a different end of the pay scale as well. It is something that is going to have to be talked about between Heidar and QPR.”

Helguson, who is one goal short of breaking into the club’s top ten all-time leading goalscorers, is understood to be on more than £15,000 a week and QPR were subsidising part of his wages during the loan spells.

The striker would almost certainly have to take a pay cut should he move back to Vicarage Road permanently, or QPR may have to continue to pay a proportion of his wages.

Helguson admitted: “That [wages] is one of the things that we need to look at if we are going to make it happen but I can’t really say too much. We have to wait and see what happens. I will probably find out a bit more after I speak to the manager [Warnock].

“Nothing has been mentioned since the day after I arrived. With the situation with all the games, everything was put on hold so we will see what happens.”