Marsch can axe "shocking" £45k-p/w dud as Leeds plot bid for "stylish" £25k-p/w talent - opinion

Reported Leeds United transfer target John Swift may already have played his final game for Reading.

That’s according to a report by Leeds Live, who claim that the 26-year-old now looks to be one step closer to a summer move, as the central midfielder has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury.

The report goes on to mention the fact that the Whites have continuously been linked with a swoop for the former Chelsea starlet, while the same outlet recently revealed that Reading have failed to make any progress in convincing the playmaker to sign a new deal at Select Car Leasing Stadium – meaning he looks set to end his six-year stay at the Championship side at the end of the current campaign.

Considering just how impressive Swift has been for Reading this season, the fact that Leeds look as if they will be able to sign the 26-year-old on a free transfer is undoubtedly fantastic news for Victor Orta.

Indeed, over his 38 Championship appearances this term, the £5.4m-rated midfield maestro has almost single-handily kept the Royals out of the relegation zone, scoring 11 goals, registering 13 assists and creating 10 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 2.7 key passes per game – metrics that are not bettered by any Reading player.

These returns have seen the £25k-per-week man who Steve Madeley dubbed “stylish” and Charles Watts claimed “glides across the pitch” average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.26, ranking him as the third-best player in the English second tier – a quite extraordinary feat while playing for a team who are just one place above the drop zone.

In contrast, over Tyler Roberts’ 23 Premier League appearances this season, the