Reading FC interim manager Paul Ince has outline the out of contract players that he would like to keep at the club.
The Royals are set for a summer of change with at least 12 senior players currently out of contract in the summer.
“When you look at what the players have achieved in the last two months that I have been here, you want to keep a core of the team,” said Ince.
“You don’t want to be in the situation where you’re bringing in 15 or 16 players.
“They know how I work and they know my demands.
“It’s important that if I am the manager, to keep the nucleus so the players that do come in can fall into the right place.
“There will be six or seven from what I’ve seen who I’d like to retain if I am the manager.
“But it’s whether we can keep them. When you’ve got good players out of contract, the vultures start circling.
“They have to make the final decision. They have to know what I’m doing first because they need to know who the manager is, then the quicker we can have these conversations about whether they are prepared to stay here.
“I know who I’d like to keep if I’m here and this is why we have these meetings with the owners to see if we’re on the same page.”
Ince believes the club can make use of the free agent and loan market in the upcoming transfer window.
For the second consecutive season the Royals will be under a transfer embargo from the EFL after breaking profit and sustainability rules in previous seasons.
He continued: “Next year just because we don’t have a budget to bring in the best players, it doesn’t mean that we can’t bring in good players on free transfers or loans.
“It will be a busy, busy summer.”
