Turkish top-tier outfit Besiktas have launched a £2.5m bid for Reading forward Lucas Joao, according to a report from The Sun.

The 28-year-old is coming into the final year of his deal at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and in normal circumstances, the Royals may be tempted to cash in on the Angolan considering his contract situation.

With the Berkshire side sinking to 21st place last term, it would be difficult to see him putting pen to paper on fresh terms at this stage and the budget the club needs to work in throughout the 2022/23 campaign as part of an EFL business plan would make it impossible for Joao to remain on the same salary.

 

 

In isolation, moving him on would make sense because in normal times, it would have given Paul Ince a decent seven-figure sum to reinvest in his first-team squad and that money would have been valuable in terms of adding depth to what is currently a very threadbare squad.

According to Alan Nixon though, the second-tier outfit are currently unable to reinvest that fee and are still restricted to bringing in free agents and loanees at this point, even if they were to cash in on Joao.

Because of this, it would almost be pointless to sell him at this stage unless he pushes hard for a move because it would be nearly impossible to replace the goals he contributes within their extremely tight budget.

His goals could be crucial to their potential survival next season with John Swift, who recorded 11 goals and 13 assists last season, moving to league rivals West Bromwich Albion on the expiration of his contract and another occasional scorer in Josh Laurent heading to Stoke City.

Yakou Meite is available as an alternative goalscorer for the Berkshire outfit - but he is arguably suited to the wing better and there are no guarantees he will be the same player following his anterior cruciate ligament injury.

He struggled towards the end of last term and it felt as though he was rushed back into action, but with a full pre-season of football under his belt, the Ivorian could potentially become a considerable force again.

Meite and Joao could be key figures if they can remain fit throughout 2022/23, especially with George Puscas' future uncertain and that's another reason why the club should be looking to keep hold of their star striker.

It will be a heartbreaker for the Royals if they were to lose him for free next season - but £2.5m is merely a drop in the ocean compared to how much money they would lose if they were to be relegated next term. Keeping Joao gives them a shot at survival if they can bring in others in the coming months.