Reading FC stalwart set for Royals exit - League Two club eyeing transfer move | OneFootball

Andy Yiadom is set to leave Reading this summer and wants to return to Barnet ahead of the 2026/27 League Two season

Reading FC are set to see key changes in the summer transfer window, having failed to clinch a League One play-off spot.

The Royals finished 12th in the third tier following a 1-0 home defeat to Blackpool on the final day of the season.

Leam Richardson's men were in the mix to finish in the top six when they beat their manager's former club, Wigan Athletic, 3-0 on 28 March, but the Berkshire club subsequently endured a six-game winless streak, including four losses.

Consequently, Reading finished 12 points shy of the play-off places and will have to wait at least another year before sealing promotion back to the Championship, having been relegated from the second tier in 2023.

Reading FC defender set for summer exit as Barnet transfer eyed

The Royals' poor form in the closing stages of the League One season indicates that the Berkshire club must add more quality to their ranks this summer, as they plot a more serious promotion bid next term.

Meanwhile, Richardson knows that, to help facilitate fresh signings this summer, he will also have to oversee some high-profile departures ahead of next season.

According to the Reading Chronicle, defender Andy Yiadom is unlikely to be handed a new contract offer by the Royals, which would end his eight-year spell at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.

The 34-year-old has made over 250 appearances for the Berkshire outfit, scoring four goals in the process, since joining on a free transfer in the summer of 2018, having previously represented Barnsley and Barnet.

Yiadom made 31 appearances for Reading across all competitions this season, but he was handed just 10 starts in League One, so it is no surprise that he is set to leave the Select Car Leasing Stadium this summer.

The Chronicle's report added that the former Ghana international is keen to return to Barnet, who he represented from 2012 until 2016, when he joined Barnsley.

Yiadom is keen to play for a club who are located closer to his home in Harrow, London, and Barnet could provide that - even if it means dropping down a level to play for the Bees.

Andy Yiadom could be exactly what Barnet need to make further progress

Barnet have made exceptional progress this season, finishing eighth in League Two just one year on from being crowned as National League champions.

However, the Bees were still left disappointed by the fact that they finished two points adrift of the play-off spots, despite beating Harrogate Town 2-0 on the final day of the campaign.

Dean Brennan's men finished their fourth-tier season with a five-game winning run, but they will have to be more inconsistent throughout the whole campaign to break into the top seven next time around.

Re-signing Yiadom, who has gained invaluable Championship and League One experience since leaving Barnet in 2016, would give the North Londoners exactly the nous and quality they need in their hunt for a play-off spot.

The Bees' second season back in League Two, following a lengthy spell away from the EFL, is set to be more difficult than their first.

However, acquiring a player of Yiadom's impressive experience and quality will likely help Brennan's men continue fighting at the right end of the table.