Reading FC should push for repeat of Chelsea and Man Utd deals this summer: View | OneFootball

Reading will be limited in the business they can do this summer, with the club still under a transfer embargo.

It would be difficult to see a single player come through the door before a sale is complete, but even when a takeover is sealed, getting players through the door may not be the easiest task.

But if there's stability at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, it will be an attractive destination for a number of players.

The Royals will probably be focusing on recruiting some free agents and loanees and they will need to make full use of these markets with several positions needing to be strengthened.

Although the loan market will allow the Berkshire side to minimise costs, something that's ideal for them considering they are now in League One, it doesn't exactly allow them to build for the long term unless there's an option to buy these loanees at the end of their stays in Berkshire.

If they can use the free agent market to bring in some top-quality, young additions on multi-year deals, that would be brilliant, and they recruited fairly well last summer.

Harvey Knibbs and Sam Smith both arrived for free, along with Lewis Wing. Those three, along with Femi Azeez, proved to be game-changers during the 2023/24 campaign.

Reading FC need to look to the future

Focusing on the future is key if/when a takeover materialises - and they can do this in multiple ways.

Bringing players through the academy has to be a key focus, with the Royals having plenty of young players who could make an impact at a first-team level.

The likes of Mamadi Camara (pictured above) and John Clarke have already played for the first team, but they haven't fully made the step up from the U23s yet.

Clarke could help to address the left-back department - an area that needs attention this summer.

The Royals could also poach players released by other academies, with Tivonge Rushesha joining last year following his departure from Swansea City.

Ben Elliott and Charlie Savage have been excellent buys from Manchester United and Chelsea

There is another way the Royals could build for the long term and that's by signing young players from Premier League giants.

Many players at elite academies are unlikely to make an impact at a first-team level at their club and some never make a single senior appearance for the team.

Charlie Savage was one of the lucky ones to play for Manchester United but it didn't look as though he was going to establish himself as a key player at Old Trafford and the Royals swooped for him last summer.

According to The Athletic, no fee was paid for the ex-Red Devil, but the top-tier giants will receive 50% of a fee that the Royals produce if they cash in on him in the future.

Savage wasn't great during the early stages of the 2023/24 season, struggling in a 4-2-2-2 along with many other players, but he improved throughout the course of the season.

And it wouldn't be a surprise to see him be a key player next season, especially if one of Harvey Knibbs or Ben Elliott leaves or sustains an injury.

Elliott was also signed from a top-tier giant, with the midfielder arriving from Chelsea in a deal that's probably similar to Savage's considering the Royals' embargo.

He is another player who hasn't always shone, struggling for starts for a decent chunk of the campaign and also struggling out wide.

But towards the end of the season, when he started regularly in central midfield, he managed to find his feet.

His performance away at Barnsley in April was particularly good, with the player shining against one of the better teams in the division.

He may start regularly again next season and even though his goals and assists record hasn't been brilliant during the 2023/24 campaign, you would back him to shine next term.

With Savage and Elliott both doing a respectable job during their first season at the SCL Stadium, recruiting unappreciated academy players from some of England's biggest teams for nothing (with a sell-on clause included) could be a good strategy to have whilst they're still under their embargo.

And when they get out of the embargo, removing high sell-on percentages out of these types of deals and paying small fees for the young players instead could be the way to go.