Bournemouth set to raid Reading for trio this summer
Published:
Bournemouth are set to make a treble swoop on the Madejski Stadium this summer, with Cherries boss Eddie Howe in the market for three Reading players.
The Bournemouth boss has guaranteed his side’s Premier League survival with games to spare and is now turning his attention to next season and bolstering his squad.
Howe has been spotted in the stands of the Berkshire outfit on numerous occasions since the turn of the year and his admiration for Northern Ireland midfielder Oliver Norwood is well documented.
A £3m bid for the former Manchester United youth player is expected once the transfer window re-opens but local reports suggest Howe could return to make further bids for Jordan Obita and Jake Cooper, while a loan bid for Chelsea’ Michael Hector has also not been ruled out.
Howe’s Bournemouth have overachieved this season but could have finished even higher up the league but for persistent injury problems.
Tyrone Mings, Max Gradel, Callum Wilson and Tommy Elphick are just a few of the names to have missed sizeable chunks of the Cherries’ first top flight campaign and Howe is hoping to have plenty of cover for the new season.
Royals boss Brian McDermott is bracing himself for Premier League interest in his players but seemed to suggest there was an air of inevitability about their departure when addressing the media earlier this week.
“I don’t worry about it. If the players are playing well and someone from the Premier League wants them then I’ve had that before,” he said.
“I’ve lost Gylfi (Sigurdsson), Shane Long – I’ve lost big players but the club goes on.”
Bournemouth are next in action at home to Chelsea and go into the game as 19/10 underdogs. The Blues can be backed at 13/10, with a draw on at 12/5 but with the Seasiders winning the reverse fixture the value could lie in a home win.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
