Football League World
·26 November 2024
Football League World
·26 November 2024
The Royals are in a weak negotiating position with Garcia - and owner Dai Yongge has a role to play in that.
Reading left-back Andre Garcia could be involved against Barnsley on Tuesday night, with Amadou Mbengue suspended.
Mbengue picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Peterborough United last weekend - and that means he won't be available for this midweek trip.
With Mbengue out, Harlee Dean, Louie Holzman or Abraham Kanu could come in for the Royals.
Dean is an experienced head to have in the first 11 and he has improved this season, so he's someone who should be under consideration for a starting spot.
Holzman, meanwhile, has impressed in the EFL Trophy this season, putting in a good performance against Cheltenham Town and also making a decent cameo against Newport County.
However, it was Kanu who came on against Posh last Saturday, and he put in a fairly decent shift.
Kanu is still inexperienced, but he did a fairly good job and arguably deserves a place in the first 11.
Ruben Selles could potentially move Jeriel Dorsett from left-back into central defence and play Garcia at left-back, with the 16-year-old starting quite a few games on the left-hand side this term.
He was needed when Dorsett was out of action, and even after the defender's return, Garcia has still been involved in the first team.
The teenager is a very highly-rated player and has held his own in League One. Defensively, he has struggled at times, but left-back isn't his natural position and the fact he's been able to step up is extremely impressive.
He will only get better with more first-team experience under his belt, but it's currently unclear how much longer the youngster will spend at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
TBR Football have listed the teams that are interested in Garcia - and there are plenty of potential future destinations for the 16-year-old.
Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are all believed to be interested in the youngster - and could give him the opportunity to remain in England.
Palace and City have done business with the club in recent years, with Michael Olise moving to the former and Luca Fletcher being poached by the latter.
The Royals have also seen many Chelsea players make loan moves to the SCL Stadium, so there's clearly a relationship between the two teams.
However, Enzo Maresca's side will face a major battle to win the race for his signature.
The teenager has attracted interest from clubs in other European countries too, with Spanish outfit Atlético Madrid thought to be keen on him, as well as German sides RB Leipzig and Bayern Leverkusen and French team Marseille.
The current Europa League champions Atalanta are even believed to be keen on the 16-year-old, but it remains to be seen who will come out on top in this race.
This interest would usually be welcomed - because the Royals would probably be in a position to tie him down to a professional contract before they sell him - which would allow them to secure a very healthy amount for his signature.
That money could then be reinvested in the first team, which would have allowed the Berkshire side to bring in extra players in their quest to return to the Championship.
Unfortunately, due to their ownership situation and potential future cash flow issues, they may not be in a good position to offer Garcia a decent professional contract, and that is a major kick in the teeth for fans.
This ownership situation should have been sorted a long time ago, considering the club was supposedly on the market more than a year ago.
But there have been a number of false dawns at the SCL Stadium since then - and current owner Dai Yongge is still at the helm despite the fact his time in Berkshire should have come to an end a while ago.
Takeovers are never easy to get over the line, but the fact it has taken this long is unacceptable, and fans will rightly be fuming with Dai because of this.