Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal with Reading to sell wantaway defender Tiago Ilori for £3.75 million
According to James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo, Premier League giants Liverpool are on the cusp of selling defender Tiago Ilori to Championship outfit Reading. A deal worth £3.75 million is understood to be agreed between the two parties and is subject to an official announcement.
Initially it appeared that Reading wanted to sign the defender on a temporary basis as Andy Hunter of the Guardian confirmed that Royals’ boss Jaap Stam was eyeing a loan move for the 23-year-old, and looked to make it permanent come the end of the campaign.
The Portugal under-23 has failed to make an impact since his move from Sporting Lisbon in 2013. He was regarded as an up and coming centre-back, but has failed to live to his billing with his new employers.
Ilori has failed to make a single league appearance for the Reds and has spent his time on loan with Granada, Bordeaux and Aston Villa in the past three seasons. This campaign, he has been with the Liverpool under-23s, and will now be eyeing regular first-team football with Reading.
The sale of the Portuguese defender will see Liverpool make a slight profit as they paid an initial £3.5 million to Sporting to secure his services. There were certain add-ons in his contract, but he failed to trigger any of them due to his lack of games at the club.
Reading currently sit third on the Championship table and Stam believes that Ilori can be the man to add solidity to the defence. The Royals have conceded the most goals among the top seven, which has been a major concern for the man at the helm.
While Ilori wasn’t good enough to play for Liverpool, he is more than capable to do a decent job with Reading. His experience for the Portugal under-23s may come in handy and help Reading in their quest for securing promotion into England’s top flight.
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