Given their unstable financial position, the Royals could have to entertain offers for their star players.
After being demoted from the Championship, they had begun their first season back in the third division with three victories in the first three months of the campaign.
The Royals have only lost one of their previous nine league games, though, indicating that they are currently in respectable form.
With goals from Harvey Knibbs, Femi Azeez, and an own goal from Alex Hartridge, Reading defeated Exeter City 3-2 on New Year’s Day to start 2024 in style and escape the relegation zone.
The club’s off-field problems have been somewhat obscured by their recent success, which resulted in a four-point deduction close to the beginning of the season.
The club has been up for sale for a few months now, but the club are yet to find a prospective buyer, with many more than likely waiting to hold out for the club to go in administration so they can get a cheaper deal.
Reading should look to accept a big offer for midfielder should it come in
However, given the team led by Ruben Selles’s current success, there may be significant interest in some of Reading’s younger players, such as Charlie Savage, if the January transfer window remains open.
The Daily Mail claims that Derby County, a League One team, has shown interest in Savage and has asked the Royals about his availability this window. The Royals have reportedly turned them down.
The Rams are still anxious to sign the Wales international to improve their midfield options, according to the report, and are not discouraged by this early setback.
Additionally, it was recently revealed that at least two other teams are reportedly interested in Savage’s case, in addition to Derby.
Savage isn’t very popular with the Royals right now. Michael Craig, a fellow midfielder who has been playing alongside Lewis Wing in the base of the midfield and has been excellent, has replaced the Welshman after a respectable start to the season.
This has kept Savage out of the starting eleven, with the 20-year-old failing to start a game in League One for Reading since a 1-1 draw against Bristol Rovers at the start of November. He only played 25 minutes over Reading’s four festive games.
Whilst he is still highly rated at the club and they would like to keep him, the club should not turn their nose up to a multi-million-pound offer should it come in.
Reading have been known over the years to turn their noses up to higher offers for some of their best players, before in the end letting players go for absolutely nothing or little below their value, or giving players low release clauses in their contracts before selling them for a lot less than they are worth, with Liam Moore and Michael Olise being prime examples of this.
Savage is also contracted to Reading longer than any other player at the club, with his deal set to expire in 2027 after he signed a four-year-deal when he signed in the summer.
Whilst Derby are unlikely to be in a position to offer that type of money, Championship clubs could definitely afford something similar.
Since rival clubs will be aware of the club’s vulnerable financial situation, they can try to take advantage of it and negotiate a better deal.
Because of his contract position, the club can still afford to hang out for a higher offer, even though their financial circumstances make it difficult for them to sell their top players for a fair price. However, if a multi-million pound offer does materialize, they should seize it quickly.
Because Manchester United reportedly has a high sell-on clause in the deal that allowed Savage to move to Berkshire back in July, Reading would also need to sell Savage for a higher price if they were to sell in order to get any significant sum of money to keep for themselves.
