Reading FC Tracking Tim Matavz

Going by recent reports, Jaap Stam's rebuilding of the Reading squad is set to continue. With Danzell Gravenberch and Joey Van den Berg having come in so far, reinforcements are expected to arrive up front - probably in the shape of Tim Matavz, a 27 year-old Slovenian forward who plays for Bundesliga side FC Augsburg.

That comes from sources in both Germany and England, with the Reading Post's Charles Watts reporting that the Royals are 'pushing hard' to sign Matavz. The Reading Post's German counterparts, the Augsburger Allgemeine, back that up, saying that Reading have expressed an interest in the player.

Where has his career taken him thus far?

Having started at Gorica in Slovenia, Matavz moved to the Netherlands, where he played for Groningen, Emmen and PSV. An impressive 58 goals in 154 Eredivisie matches earned him a multi-million Euro switch to current club Augsburg. However, his form stalled in Germany, with Matavz impressing neither for Augsburg nor for Genoa, where he was on loan at the start of 2016.

Do Augsburg not want him?

It doesn't look like it, no. New manager Dirk Schuster came in a few weeks ago and is expected to renovate his squad, allowing several unwanted players to leave in the process.

The Augsburger Allgemeine think that could include Matavz, and published this article a few days ago on a forward that they don't think has met expectations at all.

Could Reading get him on the cheap?

You would have thought so, but Augsburg have put a fair bit of money into him so far. His goalscoring record in the Netherlands gave him a price tag of about four million euros, and earned him a contract that runs out in 2019.

In an ideal world, Reading would be able to snatch him for a reasonable enough fee, but I'd imagine that Augsburg would be loath to make much of a loss on what was a big investment for them in 2014.

How likely is it that Reading try to sign him?

Naturally, Reading need a centre forward, currently only having Yann Kermorgant as someone who can provide some presence up top. At 6ft 2, Matavz seems to fit that bill, but his scoring record in Germany hardly speaks for itself.

Nonetheless, aligning reports from both England and Germany suggest that this rumour could have some truth to it. We'll have to wait to find out what comes of it.

At best, we get a forward who's scored a dozen times in the Europa League. But then again, we might instead see the striker whose career has hit a rocky patch over the last two years.