Championship side Cardiff City have offered Reading midfielder Josh Laurent a contract but will face stiff competition from other sides for his signature, according to Wales Online.

The 27-year-old is out of contract at the Select Car Leasing Stadium in the summer after signing a two-year deal when he joined in 2020 - and could be one of several first-teamers to depart Berkshire in the summer.

With John Swift already leaving for West Bromwich Albion, the Royals will be desperate to tie down some of their other crucial assets but are limited in what they can offer their existing players and potential new signings due to the business plan they will be operating under this summer.

Nonetheless, they have made a formal offer to Laurent to keep him in Berkshire beyond the summer, though the ex-Shrewsbury Town midfielder is yet to put pen to paper on this new deal.

This has allowed Cardiff to swoop in and put their hat in the ring, with the Bluebirds already busy in the transfer market and potentially needing to rebuild their midfield with Marlon Pack already confirmed to be leaving and others likely to follow him out of the door. They are reported to have made a contract offer to Laurent weeks ago (via Berkshire Live).

According to the same outlet though, the Royals and the Bluebirds will face considerable competition in their quest to tie him down with a "plethora" of other deals being offered to him.

The Verdict:

Although Laurent did have some poor performances last term, he was unbelievable during the 2020/21 campaign and certainly had his fair share of important moments last season too, making him a real asset for the Royals.

Unfortunately for them, he may have already received better offers this summer with Nottingham Forest previously thought to have been interested in taking him to the City Ground, though their promotion to the Premier League may have changed their stance.

Still, there's a considerable chance he will be leaving this summer and this is a blow for a side that already face needing to add to their midfield options without him departing.

Andy Rinomhota is another man out of contract and with Danny Drinkwater and Tom Dele-Bashiru leaving on the expiration of their loan spells, they face the possibility of needing to rebuild their midfield.

Cardiff are in a similar position as mentioned, though they seem to be more active in the market at this stage and have already added Ebou Adams to their squad. If they can get Laurent over the line, it will be seen as a real coup.