Reading are interested in signing Everton defender Reece Welch, and should the transfer materialise, it will be a permanent switch.

According to Football Insider, Everton defender Reece Welch is a firm target for League One outfit Reading. The struggling English side are eager to bring in players that help them elevate levels and make the grade to the Championship, with the 21-year-old Everton prodigy seen as an ideal fit for their club.

Reece Welch may have been at Everton for many years now, but the time may have come for the 21-year-old to try something new. The defender had made his debut in the FA Cup for the Toffees a few years back, and barring another appearance in the EFL Cup, as beyond that he has barely been counted for first-team action.

David Moyes named him as an unused substitute on the final day of last season when Everton triumphed over Newcastle United. His time at the club could be inching closer to an end, as there’s firm interest from Reading in the defender.

Reading, who finished three points off the League One playoffs place, are expected to try their luck once again. The new ownership are eager to build a solid foundation, as their chase of the 21-year-old Everton prodigy could signify the first of the many steps they intend to take in the right direction.

Reading lost key defender Tyler Bindon to Nottingham Forest in January, and view Welch as the right player to replace the New Zealand international. The move will be a permanent one, as the 21-year-old Everton prodigy is in the final year of his deal at Merseyside.

Everton’s summer transfer plans

Everton are moving swiftly to secure key targets, as they already have an agreement for Theirno Barry. Moreover, they have secured key defender Karrad Branthwaite to a new deal, while Moyes continues to look for viable options to improve his team ahead of the new season, where the Toffees are set to play in a brand new stadium.

Conor Gallagher seems like a target for Everton, while there are links to Lyon striker Georges Mikautadze. Overall, Moyes will want the club to push for signings that elevate their level from a relegation battler into a full-time mid-table outfit, as the Toffees will aim for more in the coming years, provided they have the right foundation to begin with.