Sheffield United, Portsmouth & Oxford United eyeing moves for 16-goal Reading star | OneFootball

The Championship trio are circling Reading's star man.

Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Oxford United are all interested in a move for Reading FC star Harvey Knibbs.

Pre-season is now in full swing with the 2025/26 Championship campaign looming ever closer.

There is still time in the market to make key additions ahead of next term though, with the second-tier trio eyeing up a move for the Royals’ man.

Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Oxford United keen on Harvey Knibbs

A popular avenue for Championship clubs to go down is recruiting leading talent from the division below, which is exactly the case in this scenario.

As per a report from RDG Today, a number of second-tier clubs, including Sheffield United, Portsmouth and Oxford United, are monitoring Knibbs’ situation at Reading.

The Royals are facing a tough fight to keep hold of their star player, with manager Noel Hunt admitting to transfer interest from the Championship.

Knibbs has yet to feature in any pre-season matches, which has led to increased speculation surrounding his future at the Select Car Leasing Stadium. However, this absence has been put down to injury issues.

Hunt has stated that the midfielder won’t be going anywhere unless a ‘good’ offer comes in, which could provide the Reading faithful with some solace.

Knibbs scored 14 goals in League One last term and finished as the Royals’ top scorer, whilst also adding a further two goals in the EFL Trophy. This saw him follow up on his previous debut 23/24 season with the club in very strong fashion, having netting 11 times alongside providing six assists the year prior.

He currently has one year remaining on his deal, which means that Hunt and Co. remain in the driving seat regarding his future.

The 26-year-old signed for Reading on a free transfer in 2023 after spending his first four seasons in senior football with Cambridge United, and could now be on the move once more.

Harvey Knibbs would be a huge loss for Reading FC

Contrasting fortunes is an adequate way to describe Reading’s transfer window so far.

The Royals have suffered some big losses early on in the summer, with Amadou Mbengue, Michael Craig and Tyler Bindon all exiting.

On the flip-side, Hunt’s outfit have added Paudie O’Connor, Finley Burns and Matty Jacob to their ranks, whilst Joel Pereria and Lewis Wing have both signed new three-year deals.

However, Knibbs would still be a huge loss for Reading.

His profile will be incredibly hard to replace, and the fact that he only has one year remaining on his deal means that the Royals may not get a brilliant price for his services.

Therefore, keeping hold of Knibbs would be crucial if they are to push for the play-offs once more next term.

That said, the lure of Championship football, especially in the shape of Sheffield United, may prove too much.