Reading sale on track as EFL deadline extended again

Curtis Lancaster
BBC News
Getty Images A general view of Select Car Leasing Stadium, home of Reading during the Sky Bet League One match between Reading FC and Lincoln City FC - a goalkeeper in orange can be seen on the pitch with stands full of supporters in the backgroundGetty Images
The club finished the League One season in seventh place on Saturday

The English Football League has extended Reading's deadline to sell the club and the deal is still expected to go ahead, the BBC understands.

A deal in principle was announced on Saturday morning between current owner Dai Yongee and Rob Couhig's Redwood Holdings.

The EFL deadline for the deal expired on Thursday and has now been extended until 17:00 BST on Monday.

BBC Sport has been told the the latest extension is "nothing to be concerned about" and is "purely for administrative reasons".

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Greg Double, a board member at the Supporters Trust at Reading and founding member of Sell Before We Dai, said fans remained "cautiously optimistic".

He added: "It has been a particularly dark eight years and it feels like there is some sunshine on the horizon."

The club finished the League One season in seventh place on Saturday, narrowly missing out on a play-off spot.

Since Dai Yongee took over in May 2017, the men's team have lost 18 points due to deductions and been relegated from the Championship, while the women's side have dropped four tiers.

The Chinese businessman has been publicly trying to sell Reading since March 2024.

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