READING FC goalkeeper Luke Southwood is currently unsure whether he will be at the club at the start of next season as the club prepares for life in League One.
Southwood’s current contract with Reading is due to expire this summer and he is uncertain whether the club will decide to extend his stay or release him as a free agent.
The 25-year-old impressed in his latest loan spell with Cheltenham Town in League One where he kept 16 clean sheets to help them to a 16th placed finish.
“I have absolutely loved it, it’s been brilliant,” said Southwood when speaking about his season with the Robins.
“I have felt the support all year, even in games where it hasn’t gone as well for the team.
“I think the connect that we have with the fans and the players, it translates to what we do on the pitch and the boost they give us, it has been brilliant.”
Southwood has made a total of 30 first-team appearances for the Royals and played 25 times in the Championship in the 2021/22 campaign.
However, with his deal due to expire soon, he admitted that his future is currently unclear.
He continued: “It’s going to be an interesting summer. I’ll have a couple of weeks now to relax and then see where I end up.
“As it stands I am a free agent and whether Reading want me to go back, I am not sure. We’ll have to see but I am an open book.”
Joe Lumley is set to return to Middlesbrough after his one-year loan spell with Reading.
Dean Bouzanis will have two more years left 0on his deal after signing last summer.
Young goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke, who made his senior debut on the final day of the season, will also be a free agent this summer if the club does not extend his contract.
21-year-old keeper Jokull Andresson, who has yet to make his Reading debut despite being with the club since 2018, is still under contract next season.
