Reading FC in transfer talks to sign winger - he's played 145 times in the Premier League | OneFootball

Reading are understood to be in talks with the former Newcastle United and Bournemouth winger Matt Ritchie over a move to the League One club.

Reading are set to make an ambitious move to take out of favour Portsmouth winger Matt Ritchie to the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the 2025-26 season.

The Royals have a very different-looking team this season after an extremely busy summer in the transfer market, but it seems that they're not quite done with their rebuild just yet.

They kicked off their season in a disappointing fashion, on the receiving end of a 2-0 defeat away to Lincoln City which left them second from bottom in the first League One table of the season. But with so many comings and goings at the club this summer, it may take a little time for this new-look team to start to gel.

But Reading - who have been under the ownership of Rob Couhig since May having been rescued from the clutches of Dai Yongge - are nothing if not ambitious this season, and they're now planning a move for a former Premier League winger who's found himself out of favour in the Championship at Portsmouth since the end of last season.

Reading in talks with former Newcastle United and Bournemouth star Matt Ritchie

The Portsmouth News reports that Reading are in talks with the former Newcastle United and Bournemouth winger Matt Ritchie.

The 35-year-old is understood to have been effectively frozen out at Fratton Park, with Portsmouth having agreed to cancel Ritchie's contract so that he can pursue regular first-team football elsewhere.

Ritchie played 39 times under John Mousinho in the Championship last season, but the veteran has slipped down the pecking order due to the likes of Adrian Segecic signing from Sydney FC, and has been told he is free to depart the south coast outfit.

While Reading are in pole position to sign Ritchie, it's also believed that there is still interest in the player from Championship sides too, though the identity of these clubs remains unknown.

Matt Ritchie could bring a wealth of experience to Reading FC, but he might not come cheap

Matt Ritchie first came to prominence in the Bournemouth team that surprised the football world by getting promoted into the Premier League in 2015.

He played one season of Premier League football at Dean Court before transferring to Newcastle United for a fee reported as having been between £10 million and £12 million.

Ritchie stayed at St. James' Park for eight years. Newcastle had just been relegated from the Premier League at the time of his signature and helped them back into the top-flight in his first season there, but he fell out of favour at Newcastle in his last couple of seasons on Tyneside and transferred to Portsmouth at the end of the 2023-24 season on a free transfer, having played 145 times in the top flight of English football.

Ritchie featured regularly in the Championship for Pompey last season as they finished in 16th position, yet despite his positive showings, Ritchie has been told he can find a new club by Mousinho, and Reading are offering him the chance to extend his career with regular game time.