Reading have agreed a deal to sign ex-Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann, as reported by Football Insider. 

The veteran centre-back saw his contract expire at Selhurst Park this summer after he had made just shy of 200 appearances for the Premier League outfit.

According to the report, Dann is expected to put pen-to-paper on a single-year contract, following in the footsteps of Gary Cahill, who also joined a second-tier club from Crystal Palace this summer.

Dann has made 241 appearances at Premier League level and 118 in the second-tier since making his professional debut in 2006.

The 34-year-old, who progressed through the ranks at Walsall after growing up in Liverpool, has also enjoyed spells with Coventry City, Birmingham City, and Blackburn Rovers in the Championship.

The Royals are still operating under a transfer embargo, meaning that a deal like this one, is the only kind of business that they can engage in.

The verdict

Scott Dann will bring leadership, defensive prowess, and intelligence to a Reading defensive line that have already conceded five more than any of their Championship counterparts.

Reading have struggled to get going early on this campaign, and whilst reinforcements may also be needed elsewhere, a vastly experienced defender like Dann is certainly the best signing to prioritise at this stage of the window.

The Royals would have been expecting to compete in and around the play-offs this season, and whilst this embargo has severely restricted them in regard to their incomings, the arrival of Dann will certainly bolster their chances of putting an end to their start of the campaign struggles.