Scottish Champions Celtic look set to swoop in and sign Reading centre-back Liam Moore in January. The English defender can play at both centre-back and right-back which makes him an ideal candidate for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
The Celtic boss is renowned for getting the best out of his players but it remains to be seen whether he can resolve some of the defensive issues that Celtic need to address through the signing of Moore.
The initial reports state that the former Liverpool boss is preparing a bid for the £5m rated centre-back when the transfer window resumes in the new year. The 24-year-old joined Reading from Leicester last summer and has impressed with some eye-catching displays in what can prove to be a long, hard season for the Royals.
Reading FC is currently fighting for their Championship life and finds themselves in the 18th position, six points off the relegation zone. So the men at Madjeski won’t be keen on selling one of their star defenders at this critical juncture.
Moore put pen to paper in a four-year deal at the Madejski Stadium recently and his rise to prominence was mainly due to the mentorship of the former Dutch centre-back, Jaap Stam.
However, Rodgers will look to secure his signature after Celtic suffered a few injury blows to some of their key defenders. Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko have been plagued with fitness issues, while Dedryck Boyata has also missed a lot of games for the Hoops.
At times, Rodgers has been forced to field players out of position. A prime example of that being defensive midfielder, Nir Bitton used as a makeshift centre back. So Moore’s potential arrival should excite Celtic fans as the Englishman has the makings of a decent defender who can sit at the heart of the Celtic defence for years to come.
Since his arrival from Leicester, Moore has made 64 appearances for Reading and has scored three goals. His last goal came at Derby where he was exceptional in his side’s 4-2 triumph, which helped Reading put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone.
So Reading supporters will definitely want him to stay, at least until the end of the season. But the prospect of joining the Glaswegians is something that Moore would find difficult to turn down.
