Sitting third in the Championship and pushing hard for promotion, Reading FC look set to bolster their defensive setup with the signing of Liverpool centre-back Tiago Ilori in a deal rumoured to be worth £3.75mil after giving him permission to speak with the Berkshire club.
The easy money is on Ilori making a move to the Madejski Stadium — and as Jaap Stam’s side fight for a spot in the Premier League next season, a stronger back four will have the punters checking out Big Free Bet as they back the Royals to battle their way to the top-flight. Personal terms still need to be hashed out but considering he’s failed to establish himself at Anfield since moving from Portuguese side Sporting CP in the summer of 2013 for a fee that could have potentially risen to £7mil, it’s highly unlikely that will be too much of a problem.
Although a loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the season was apparently on the table, the Reds have pushed for a permanent move. Having sent the Portuguese youngster out on loan for the past three seasons running, it has become obvious that the 23-year old isn’t going to cut the mustard on Merseyside. Injured for much of his stint with Aston Villa last year, he was sent back to Anfield in January without making a single competitive appearance at Villa Parks and managed only one outing for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Liverpool might have been holding out for closer to £5mil for Ilori, but it appears we’ve settled somewhere in the middle. Having not hit the requisite conditions to pay out the full fee to Sporting, the Reds look set to make a marginal profit on the 23-year old. With the move progressing rapidly, he could be a Reading player in time to face Manchester United in the FA Cup this weekend — making this a sound piece of business for everyone involved.
