Liverpool defender Tiago Ilori is set to complete his protracted move to Reading today.
Royals chiefs agreed a £3.75m fee for Ilori, 23, last week and assistant manager Andries Ulderink claimed the deal was almost done.
The transfer has taken longer than expected to be rubber-stamped but Press Association reporter Simon Peach claims it is finally set to go through.
Tiago Ilori's move from Liverpool to Reading set to – belatedly – be announced in the next day. Should be involved at Derby on Saturday
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) January 16, 2017
It’s believed off-field reasons, such as the club’s takeover by a Chinese-based consortium, has held up the deal.
Reading travel to the iPro Stadium with plenty at stake – Jaap Stam’s side sit fourth in the table and have a six-point advantage on seventh-placed Derby – so Ilori’s arrival will be a major boost.
Stam revealed following last week’s home defeat to QPR that he was confident they would finally capture of the Portuguese centre-back, who was spotted at the Madejski Stadium.
Stam said: “We want to sign him,” he said. “I believe there is one thing to be done before it’s finished so hopefully that can be done in one or two days.