Reading FC Transfer Rumours: In And Out

Potential Arrivals

David Bruno (FC Porto B)

With the club having strong interest in Portuguese talent, Reading have been keeping tabs on this young defender who can play anywhere across the defence but is mainly used as a right-back in FC Porto’s reserve team. Probably one of the more realistic transfer targets this summer, which cannot be said for the next "target"...

Bebe (Benfica, currently on loan at Cordoba)

By an absolute mile, this maybe one of the most ridiculous transfer rumours I have heard for a long while to do with Reading. The former Manchester United winger, had a torrid time in Lancashire and didn’t have much success at his next side, Portuguese giants Benfica. Having only made one appearance for Benfica, he was loaned out to Spanish side Cordoba in which he has made 11 appearances but scored no goals, resulting in his side being relegated from the Spanish top flight. Now he is probably a player that is on ridiculous money each week and with Reading trying to balance the books this summer it looks very unlikely that we will make a move for him this summer.

Domicic Solanke (Chelsea)

Now this move hasn’t had any paper-talk about it but with Steve Clarke’s previous loan signings from Chelsea and the contacts he obviously has with the club I feel that Chelsea youngster Dominic Solanke could be a possible season long loan signing for us. Solanke is a very highly rated player at the Bridge and has proved his quality by scoring an incredible 41 goals this season for Chelsea Under 21s in all competitions. I feel this move will be dependent on whether Dominic Samuel gets a chance to impress this season after the former Coventry striker impressed after scoring 5 goals in 10 appearances for the League One side - before his stay was ended after he suffered a fractured ankle towards the end of the season.

Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea)

This would be another brilliant loan signing for us, with Chalobah improving every game under Steve Clarke towards the back end of the season and the player himself stating that he wouldn’t rule out another loan move next season, I really hope we can manage to sign him on-loan again next season.

Richard O’Donnell (Walsall)

The Walsall keeper is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with us and Nottingham Forest this week. Like Rob Kiernan, below, it depends on whether a current out-of-contract Reading player leaves this summer. If Federici leaves this summer then O’Donnell would be interested in a move to the Madejski but I’m sure he would like to be first-choice goalkeeper, rather than sat on the bench every week.

Rob Kiernan (Wigan)

In the last few days, it emerged that Reading, Cardiff and Birmingham are monitoring Wigan centre back Rob Kiernan. I think this will be the sort of signing that could see Alex Pearce leave during the summer, should the Royals have this man lined up as a replacement for the academy product.  The 24-year-old spent four months on-loan at Birmingham this season and their boss Garry Rowett expressed an interest in bringing Kiernan to St. Andrews on a permanent basis. With Wigan looking to rebuild for League One it remains to be seen whether Kiernan will feature in their plans.

Potential Departures

Adam Federici

I think I speak for nearly every Reading FC fan here in saying that it would be a shocking decision to let our player of the season leave on a free transfer this summer. Without Federici I feel that we would be a lot closer (If not below) the dreaded relegation line. He has single handedly kept us in some games, gained us vital points, and his brilliant season was summed up by the top class penalty save as he showed the mental strength to comeback after an agonizing mishap in the FA cup semi-final. It is vital that we renew his contract if we want to have a chance of a respectable and improved position next season.

Jem Karacan

Now this is a player that will divide opinion, as to whether we should renew his contract this summer. If you had asked most of our fans two seasons ago, who you would be most surprised to see leave the club, most (Well definitely me!) would have said Jem Karacan. But having been out injured for nearly two whole seasons, you have to ask the question about whether the wages he is on could be spent better elsewhere. It pains me to say that as Jem’s work ethic on the pitch is incredible when he is at full fitness and his passion for the club is one you cannot criticise.

He has shown brief moments of what he can produce with a lovely finish against Watford but with rumours that the club are only offering him a one-year contract, it remains unclear over what his future holds. Local newspapers have also said that newly-promoted Bournemouth and Watford are both tracking his contract situation in a move that I feel wouldn’t be a good one, with him most likely not being in the first choice pairing in midfield.

Alex Pearce

Where do we start with this man? In my opinion, if Pearce was better and more confident in possession then he could arguably be playing for a Premier League side but his inconsistency and lack of confidence when he has the ball at his feet has left the club with a difficult decision this summer regarding his contract. With the emergence of both Michael Hector and Jake Cooper it would be interesting to see whether he would be in the starting XI on a weekly basis next season. At the age of 26 I still feel that he has a future at the club with him definitely being in front of injury-prone Anton Ferdinand in the pecking order.

Unlikely but possible transfers

Michael Hector

One of the very few positives that this season has brought us. Hector has been outstanding at the back, especially in the last four months of the season. The one performance that I think was his best performance by a mile was against Arsenal in the FA Cup Semi Final where he hardly gave Danny Welbeck an inch all afternoon (I think Hector still hasn’t let him out of his back pocket!).  Renewing his contract this summer would almost be as important as the other three key first-team players because he has a lot more to offer at the club. Although he has stated that he wants to stay at the club next season and help us up the league table, it would be interesting to see if a Premier League club came calling for his services because at the young age of 22 he has time to develop and personally I feel he could easily play in the top flight. Whether it be with Reading or another club, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Hector.

Patrick Bamford

This is more a player I would like us to sign, rather than one that has been rumoured into Reading because it ultimately comes down to whether his current club Middlesbrough get promoted. If they are to win the play-offs then it increases our chances of getting him as (don’t quote me on this!) you are only allowed to loan one player from another Premier League club - in this case, Chelsea. In the top flight, Middlesbrough would probably look towards permanent signings rather than loan signings. However, if they do not get promoted this season then they will most likely renew their interest in Bamford with the player impressing over at the Riverside this season.