Reading FC urged to avoid losing 12-goal ace previously wanted by Derby County and Portsmouth | OneFootball

FLW's Reading fan pundit discussed the future of star attacker Harvey Knibbs

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Reading may find themselves fearing a summer departure for Harvey Knibbs, who has impressed with 12 goals in League One this season and was the subject of reported transfer interest from a number of Championship clubs during the January transfer window.

The Berkshire outfit's ongoing financial struggles under the perilous ownership of Dai Yongge mean they are susceptible to losing their prized assets each window.

Given just how many players have impressed for Reading this season in what has been a positive campaign on the pitch at least, that fear will likely be amplified heading into the summer window.

The likes of Lewis Wing, Amadou Mbengue, Ben Elliott, Charlie Savage and Nottingham Forest-bound Tyler Bindon have all shone in the third-tier, but one must wonder where the Royals would be had they not been able to call upon Knibbs' consistent stream of goals.

Knibbs has continued to kick on from an encouraging debut campaign with the club which saw him record 16 strikes and six assists across all competitions last time out after arriving from Cambridge United, with 12 League One goals under his belt in the current season.

The 26-year-old, who can operate in central or attacking midfield and at wide-left, has been one of the division's standout attackers and is a big reason why Reading find themselves in eighth place, very much in play-off contention with nine games left of the campaign.

But he has already earned admirers and Reading could face a challenge in retaining his services this summer. Back in January, The Telegraph's Mike McGrath reported that Derby County, Oxford United and Portsmouth - all of whom gained promotion from League One last term - were interested in Knibbs and while a move failed to transpire, deals are notoriously easier to broker in the summer window and that's where Reading will worry about losing their star attacker.

FLW spoke to our resident Royals fan pundit, Johnny Hunt, to ask whether he believes Knibbs is destined to move to a Championship club this summer if Reading fail to achieve promotion after earning January interest from at least three second-tier outfits.

Johnny hopes Reading can retain Knibbs for a third season, but recognises the risk of losing the Aston Villa academy product if his side is in League One come August and Championship clubs decide to come calling once again.

"Harvey Knibbs is a class player," Johnny told FLW.

"Hopefully we'll be a Championship club in the summer - being positive - you never know and he'd then stay with us.

"He's one of those class players we've got. On his day, he's got everything; engine, goals, speed. He's a top professional and certainly is capable of playing in the Championship.

"We'd want him to stay with us and be part of this project we can build, hopefully we can get a contract that's worthy for him.

"If you took the Reading piece out of it as in the fact we'd want him to stay, I'd say he could be Championship level. Clubs were looking at him in January, but was that more to do with the fact that people were thinking we were easy pickings for signings?

"I hope not, let's hope he's still a Reading player after the summer."

Outcome of Reading FC's promotion bid could determine Harvey Knibbs' future

Much will likely hinge upon the outcome of Reading's ongoing promotion bid, as they will have a considerably stronger chance of retaining his signature if they are a Championship club next term.

They are firmly in the race for a play-off finish, which is admirable considering the mid-season departure of popular head coach Ruben Selles to Hull City and the backdrop of continual financial ruin away from the pitch.

At the time of writing, Reading are just two points shy of sixth-placed Huddersfield Town and have hit form at the right time, heading into the international break on a ten-game unbeaten streak where they have taken points from the likes of the Terriers, Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City and Wrexham.

Reading's end-of-season run-in is rather favourable too, with only one of the current top-six left to face in Wycombe Wanderers. Despite the odds having been stacked against them, they are in a good position to seal a top-six spot and may need to do so, along with then gaining promotion through the lottery of the play-offs, to be able to keep hold of Knibbs.