Sources: West Brom make move to sign Reading star Lucas Joao
West Brom are working on a deal to sign Reading striker Lucas Joao, sources have told Football Insider.
Baggies boss Steve Bruce recently revealed that he is hoping to bolster his attack before the window shuts on 1 September.
West Brom have registered their interest in Joao, whose future at Reading has been the subject of speculation all summer.
The 28-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Reading and they could be forced to sell him in the next fortnight.
Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson are West Brom’s only fit recognised strikers after another injury to fellow forward Daryl Dike.
2021 signing Dike is reportedly facing two months on the sidelines after suffering a thigh tear.
Joao has recently returned from an injury layoff of his own after breaking down with a knee injury in pre-season.
The striker, who joined Reading from Sheffield Wednesday in 2019, returned from the substitutes bench on Tuesday – scoring the third goal in a 3-0 win over former club Blackburn.
The 28-year-old is a proven operator at Championship level, having notched 65 goals and 27 assists in 208 games in the English second tier.
Joao switched his international allegiance to Angola this year despite making his full senior debut for Portugal under Fernando Santos in 2015.
Reading have started the new campaign with six points from a possible 12 despite a number of off-field financial issues.
Meanwhile, West Brom sit in the Championship’s bottom three having yet to win a match in the 2022-23 season.
In other news, Football Insider updates as Premier League ace undergoes Middlesbrough medical as deal agreed.