Reading chief claims Luton have agreed a fee for young Royals defender

Reading are waiting to see if they are about to lose a second player to Luton this week after claiming the Hatters have agreed a fee for young defender Nelson Abbey.

The 20-year-old has been one of the bright lights in a difficult season for the Royals, who were relegated to League One in the summer after suffering a points deduction last term. A further four point penalty this campaign has placed the Berkshire club in real danger of dropping down to the bottom division, while their game with Port Vale called off on Saturday due to a pitch invasion from home supporters in protest against the owners.

In all that, Abbey has caught the eye for the Royals, playing 26 times in defence, also captaining the club too, while he has won international honours with the England U20 side as well, featuring three times for the Young Lions in the U20 Elite League. Luton made their first move of the transfer window on Wednesday raiding the Madejski Stadium to bring in Abbey’s team-mate Tom Holmes for an undisclosed fee, allowing the centre half to return to Reading on loan until the end of the season.

However, it appears that Town are also looking at the talented youngster, as speaking to the Reading Chronicle, director of football operations, Mark Bowen said: "A fee was agreed with Luton, but we are still waiting on the player to decide and for things to progress, if they progress."

Royals manager Ruben Selles, who took over in the summer, will continue to pick Abbey for his side with a trip to Wigan Athletic on the horizon this weekend, as he told Reading Today: “I had a conversation with him after the club had accepted bids for him. That one didn’t move further in the terms of Nelson making a decision so I will play him until something further happens.”