Exclusive: David Prutton backs Rob Couhig to save "perilous" Reading FC with £25m takeover deal | OneFootball

David Prutton has weighed in the former Wycombe Wanderers owner's proposed takeover of Reading.

David Prutton has weighed in on Rob Couhig's proposed takeover of Reading FC, as the days tick down until the EFL-imposed deadline for the club to find a new owner.

If Dai Yongge does not work a deal to sell the Royals by April 22, then there is a chance that they will be suspended by the EFL, as they close in on securing a place in the League One play-offs.

This is not the first time that the former Wycombe Wanderers owner has been in talks to buy the Berkshire outfit, having done so back in the summer, but according to The Sun, he has agreed a £25m deal to purchase the third tier side.

Supporters, players and staff will be desperately hoping that the takeover is completed this time round, after another proposed deal fell through before Couhig returned, with 153 years of history at stake.

David Prutton gives verdict on potential Rob Couhig, Reading takeover amid £25m agreement

On the pitch, this has been a positive campaign for Reading and if the American businessman can complete a deal, it could end spectacularly as they aim for a top six finish.

However, there will be cause for concern as the Royals have found themselves in a position like this in the past, and everyone associated with the club will be waiting with bated breath for the takeover to be finalised.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, David Prutton has urged both parties to work together and get Couhig in as soon as possible.

He told FLW: "Rob Couhig, he was the second to last person that agreed and invested a bit of money to it before and it did not come to anything.

"Well something needs to happen, doesn't it? Because it's perilous for Reading.

"As ever in this, the overriding sympathies with the fans, given what they've been through, given what they've seen and, in spite of all that, they have been fighting their way out of that particular division, with some very big football clubs.

"Reading are a big football club, but as we know, it's been stagnated for quite a while.

"So this is huge news, it's even bigger and better news when it gets actually signed, sealed and delivered, but it's been several years of false dawns. I just hope this isn't one that falls into that category."

With just weeks to go in the 2024/25 campaign, the race for the play-offs is heating up, with Reading currently in pole position to finish sixth.

If they are able to end the season in this position and the takeover is completed, momentum will be with the Royals heading into the lottery of the League One play-offs and few will want to face Noel Hunt's side.

Championship football has been missed at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the last two years, and fans will be hoping that a return to the second tier will see a new era of calm and prosperity for a club that has been in limbo for multiple seasons.

Nevertheless, the most important thing right now is that Couhig's deal goes through, and Yongge's reign as the owner of Reading comes to an end as soon as possible after being officially disqualified under the EFL's Owners' and Directors' Test.