Reading manager Veljko Paunovic has confirmed that he would like Omar Richards to sign a new contract with the club as several Premier League sides appear to be lurking around him at the moment.

The Royals started this season well but are now in a dip of form and have been caught and surpassed at the top of the table, with them losing to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday in the Championship.

With the games coming thick and fast, though, Paunovic and his men are never far from a chance to start turning things around and he'll be bidding to do that with Richards set to figure a great deal.

His performances have attracted interest from the likes of Newcastle and West Ham, though, and it is evident that Paunovic wants to sort a contract to try and keep him at the club.

Quoted by Berkshire Live, he said when asked if he wanted to sort a new deal:

"Of course.

"He's a very important part of the team. He has been one of the players who has had more games and minutes [than others].

"He has had fantastic participation so far and we're looking at him as a very, very important part of the team, not only this year but also in the future."

The Verdict

Richards has been one of Reading's standout players so far this season and naturally they'll want to keep him for as long as possible.

If they could achieve promotion they'd give themselves a real chance of doing so but it remains to be seen how quickly they are going to snap out of this current rut.

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