Reading FC Defender Tiago Ilori Nears Sporting Lisbon Move

Reading FC’s signing of Matt Miazga appears to have been a pre-emptive strike concering the future of fellow centre-back Tiago Ilori, who is reportedly having a medical ahead of a move to Sporting Lisbon.

Press Association and a number of Portuguese outlets wrote on Monday morning about the defender’s imminent exit, which has been mooted for a number of weeks. Initially, Sporting had failed to meet Reading’s valuation of Ilori and there is no word yet on what the clubs’ agreement amounts to.

The 25-year-old landed in Lisbon on Sunday night with a four-and-a-half year contract in the offing. Newspaper Record reckon the fee to be around €2.5m, which will not enact the 25% sell-on clause Liverpool are said to have on their former player, as that is only invoked if Reading make a profit on selling Ilori.

He had started in all five of Jose Gomes’ games in charge of the Royals with 19 leagues appearances this season putting him up to 56 overall for the club, scoring once, since arriving as a record signing in the January of 2017.

It leaves Liam Moore, John O’Shea, Paul McShane and Chelsea loanee Miazga as the four senior centre-backs at the club, backed up by Tom McIntyre and Gabriel Osho.

Ilori began his career in Lisbon, joining the Sporting academy in 2006 before making his professional debut while still a teenager in 2011.