Under the tutelage of Chris Hughton, Brighton & Hove Albion have been taking big steps this summer to beef up their ranks. Hughton has spent a significant amount of cash in the right areas and has already secured the signings of some quality players like Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Yves Bissouma, Bernardo, Florin Andone and Leon Balogun.
However, one of the players whom the Seagulls have been desperate to land at the AMEX Stadium is Reading centre-back, Liam Moore. As per one of the reports by Sky Sports, Brighton & Hove Albion had placed three bids, with their third one being £8million with a series of add-ons. Moore has three years left on his ongoing contract and so far, the Royals have rejected the bids from the Premier League outfit.
Hughton still remains in the hunt to prise the defender out of the Madejski Stadium and to make things interesting, Moore has handed in a transfer request to his current employers. Consequently, he was left out of the Reading squad for their friendly at home against Crystal Palace on Saturday despite previously being involved in the pre-season plans of Paul Clement.
Moore joined Reading from the ranks of Leicester City in the summer of 2016 and was an instrumental player for his side which lost the playoff final against Huddersfield Town at the end of the 2016-17 campaign. Last season was a forgettable one for them as they barely managed to refrain themselves from falling into the clutches of the relegation zone but Moore played every minute of every league game.
The 25-year-old scored 3 goals and registered 1 assist in 46 appearances in the Championship. Besides, he also mustered 0.9 tackles, 1.9 interceptions, 7.3 clearances and 1.1 blocks per game on an average. He has certainly proven his calibre in the English second division but he couldn’t elevate his current employers to the top flight. This led to dissatisfaction for Moore and a move to the Premier League outfit must appeal to him.
The former England Under-21 international is a resolute defender and is an exceptional reader of the attacking endeavours of the opposition. Besides, he is strong and commendable in the air and is a calm and composed player at the back. If his move materializes, it would be interesting to see how he fares against the elite English outfits.
