Reading FC join Bolton Wanderers in transfer hunt for Hull City man | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have been joined in the chase for the Hull City left-back Matty Jacob by Reading, as they seek to strengthen for the new season.

Bolton Wanderers have been joined in the race for the Hull City left-back Matty Jacobs by League One rivals Reading, according to reports.

Trotters manager Steven Schumacher is understood to want a specialist left-back as he prepares his team for the new season in League One, after the team tailed off disappointingly in the closing weeks of the 2024/25 campaign, finishing in eighth place in the table and ten points off a play-off place.

But now reports are suggesting that Bolton aren't the only club interested in acquiring the services of the 24-year-old Hull City defender, with another League One side also believed to be taking a close interest in him.

Reading FC join Bolton in the chase for Matty Jacob

Reports from HullLive have confirmed that Reading are also now courting Jacob, who has been unable to tie down a first-team place at Hull over his two seasons in their first-team squad.

They also report that there is interest from an unnamed Swiss club in Jacob's services, and that a deal for him to exit the MKM Stadium could be done as early as next week.

Reading could be direct rivals to Bolton in League One next season, having finished one position and seven points above the Trotters in League One at the end of the 2024/25 season, and following the takeover of Rob Couhig, they're now competing for signings too.

The majority of last season's Royals squad is out of contract at the SCL Stadium this summer, although the likes of Joel Pereira and Lewis Wing have put pen-to-paper on fresh deals under the new regime - transfer business will be needed though to strengthen Noel Hunt's hand going into next season.

Jacob still has two years remaining on his contract with Hull, but an exit from the Tigers now looks likely, having only featured eight times last season as they battled against relegation for the majority of it.

Matty Jacob hasn't been able to pin down a first-team place at Hull City - summer exit is for the best

Matty Jacob has been with the Hull first-team squad for the last two seasons, but hasn't been able to break through as a regular starter in the first-team.

He first joined the club's academy at under-9's level and signed his first professional contract in May 2019 following the conclusion of his scholarship.

Jacob's path to the Hull first team hasn't been smooth since then, though. He was first sent out on loan to non-league Pickering Town in the Northern Premier League for the 2018-19 season, and won the club's Players Player of the Year award. A further loan spell followed at Gateshead for the 2021-22 season, which concluded with his team winning the Noational League North title.

He finally made his debut in the Hull first team in January 2024, and was later voted their Player of the Month for that month. At the start of March of that year, he signed a long-term contract with the club - that could soon come to an end though.

Since signing that long-term contract, though, Jacob has been unable to tie down a regular starting position in the Hull team.

He's only made 22 appearances over the two full seasons that he's been part of the squad, and Hull are now under new management, meaning that an exit from the club with whom he's been connected for 15 years is now looking highly likely.

But with Bolton now facing competition from Reading, there are no guarantees that Steven Schumacher is going to get the man who he may have considered the answer to his left-back quandary.