Brighton and Hove Albion seal Reading FC transfer agreement | OneFootball

Caylan Vicker is closing in on a move to Premier League side Brighton.

According to Will Unwin, the Reading youngster is set to join the Seagulls on a permanent basis.

The Royals are struggling near the bottom of the League One table, with the club’s finances hampering them from competing at a higher level.

The ownership has come under pressure from supporters in the last several months, but player sales have become a knock-on consequence of their poor position.

Brighton now look set to take advantage as they have come to an agreement on a deal to sign the 19-year-old.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the deal is subject to a medical, but an agreement has been reached between all parties so it shouldn’t prove a significant hurdle in completing the move before this evening’s 11pm transfer deadline.

Vickers broke into the Reading side earlier this season under Ruben Selles, making his league debut for the club in a 1-0 loss to Peterborough United in August.

He came off the bench in the closing stages of the game, earning his first start for the Berkshire outfit at senior level in an EFL Cup win against Millwall just a few days later.

The midfielder has made 14 league appearances for Reading this campaign, including seven starts.

Vickers scored his first goal at senior level in a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in September, coming off the bench in the final 10 minutes to bag an 86th minute winner for Selles’ team.

But an appearance off the bench in a 1-1 draw against Leyton Orient last Saturday now appears to be his final one for the club.

Brighton have earned a reputation in recent years for signing bright young talent and giving them a chance at European football.

This will come as a blow to Reading, who will be losing a useful squad player as they battle against relegation to League Two.

The Royals have been docked four points already this season for the club’s breaches of EFL rules.

This has left the club sitting 21st in the third division table, three points adrift of safety.

Reading were deducted six points in the previous campaign for other rule breaches, which played a direct role in their relegation to League One.

The club is now staring down the barrel of back-to-back relegations, with youngsters like Vickers also potentially heading for the exit door.

Next up for Selles’ team is an away trip to face Oxford United on 3 February.

Brighton to seal yet another promising signing

It’s possible this is the kind of deal Brighton would have pursued regardless of Reading’s poor financial position.

However, the Seagulls have moved to take advantage by securing a favourable deal to secure a promising young midfielder.

It remains to be seen whether he will be given any first team opportunities this season, but he will surely be given time to prove himself at the Amex given the club’s reputation for developing talent.

If Reading have managed to get some kind of sell-on clause in this deal, then that could prove a very lucrative clause in the years to come.