Reece Welch, Reading
(Credit: Getty)
Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent
Fri 4 July 2025 22:12, UK
Everton defender Reece Welch is a target for Reading in a permanent deal in this summer’s transfer window, sources have told Football Insider.
England Under-20 international Welch is entering the final year of his contract at Everton, and Reading are eyeing a move for the centre-back to bolster their defensive options.
He made his debut for the Merseyside club’s first team in their 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over Boreham Wood in 2022, coming off the bench for the final minute of the game.
The 21-year-old was an unused substitute as the Toffees won 1-0 at Newcastle United on the final day of the Premier League season in May.
David Moyes Everton
David Moyes and Everton are set to part company with Welch (Credit Imago)
Reading set sights on Everton defender Welch
Football Insider exclusively revealed last summer that Reading enquired about signing Welch, and the Royals are once again interested in his services.
Despite the severe financial challenges posed by former owner Dai Yongge, the Berkshire club finished seventh in League One last season, just three points adrift of the playoff places.
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But Reading are now looking to progress under new owners, Rob Couhig and Todd Trosclair, amid their renewed interest in Welch.
Everton
Welch is set to join Reading (Credit: Getty)
Welch set to thrive in League One
Football Insider verdict
After narrowly missing out on the playoffs last season, Reading will be eager to land a top-six spot in Noel Hunt’s first full season in charge next term.
League One table (6th-7th) 2024/25 Games played Goal difference Points
6 Leyton Orient 46 24 78
7 Reading 46 11 75
Reading finished just outside the playoffs last term
The addition of Welch will help the Royals in that quest, thanks to the experience he has earned in Premier League 2 throughout his time with the Everton academy.
Furthermore, the 21-year-old already boasts EFL nous, having spent the 2023/24 season on loan with Gloucestershire outfit Forest Green in League Two, notching two assists in 17 fourth-tier outings.
The Toffees starlet has proven that he is ready for the challenge of League One football, while a move to Reading should see him competing in the upper echelons of the third tier.
Hunt’s men need a new centre-back after losing New Zealand international Tyler Bindon to Nottingham Forest in the winter transfer window, but Welch’s signature can fill that void for the Berkshire club.
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