Championship side Reading have not made further progress yet in their quest to get a deal for Swansea City midfielder Jay Fulton over the line, according to a Twitter update from Alan Nixon.

The same journalist broke the initial report linking the Swan to the Royals on Sunday, with the Berkshire side still arguably needing to address their midfield situation despite recent arrivals.

Nottingham Forest's Tyrese Fornah arrived at the Select Car Leasing Stadium for the season last week and Newcastle United's Jeff Hendrick followed him through the door yesterday, with both coming in on temporary spells.

With Joe Lumley also arriving on loan, Paul Ince's side are able to fill up two of their matchday squad spots with loanees and could potentially strike a short-term agreement with the Swans to take Fulton to Berkshire for the 2022/23 campaign.

If a loan move isn't sanctioned, the only way Ince's men could recruit the 28-year-old is if he was made available on a free transfer by officials at the Swansea.com Stadium, with the Royals unable to fork out transfer fees for players at this stage as part of the business plan they agreed with the EFL last November following their breach of financial rules.

Danny Drinkwater, Tom Dele-Bashiru, Josh Laurent and Andy Rinomhota have all departed Berkshire since the end of last season and this could potentially make the Swansea man a much-needed addition, even with Fornah and Hendrick already joining.

The Verdict:

Dejan Tetek can step up to the plate as a first-team option - but would probably only be suitable as a backup option at this stage as opposed to a regular start in the second tier as he continues his development.

Tom McIntyre can also step into midfield which could provide the Royals with an option when needed - and Fornah and Hendrick could potentially start together as two midfielders that offer the second-tier side different things.

With Fornah potentially sitting back, that could allow Hendrick to advance up the pitch and help the likes of Ovie Ejaria and Lucas Joao, so things are starting to look promising in the middle of the park.

The addition of Fulton would be useful though - because he would be a regular starter as a player with plenty of second-tier experience under his belt. A midfield of Fulton and Hendrick would certainly help to keep the Royals afloat in their current division.

However, they shouldn't panic too much if they are unable to seal an agreement, with the likes of Sam Hutchinson and Jacob Davenport already in the building as trialists. Whether they can remain fit remains to be seen though.