Who is Mamadou Loum? The Porto midfielder linked with Reading FC loan to boost Paul Ince's squad

Reading FC may have signed seven players so far this summer, but there could yet be more to come.

Royals boss Paul Ince is still eyeing further signings this summer to bolster his squad for the new campaign. So far he has brought in Joe Lumley, Tyrese Fornah, and Jeff Hendrick on loan deals, while Dean Bouzanis, Tom Ince, Shane Long, and Sam Hutchinson have joined permanently.

And now, Portuguese outlet Record are reporting that 25-year-old Porto midfielder Mamadou Loum is set to join Royals on a loan deal for the upcoming Championship season. The agreement reportedly includes an option for Paul Ince's side to buy the Senegalese international for €5million next summer, provided Reading stay within the financial restrictions in place this season as part of the transfer embargo for breaching EFL profit and sustainability rules.

But who is the midfielder and what would he bring to Reading, should he sign? We take a look at the Porto midfielder, below.

The 25-year-old was born in Senegal in Dakar and started his football career at Senegalese side Union Sportive Ouakam, before moving to Portugal in 2015. He made his professional debut for Braga's B team at the age of 18 and went on to play 68 times for them, scoring four goals.

In 2018, he joined Primeira Liga side Moreirense on loan and made 19 appearances for them, netting three times, including a goal in a 3-1 win at Benfica. He then joined Porto on loan in January 2019 for the rest of the season, with an option to make the move permanent. Porto exercised that option in the summer of 2019 in a deal worth around £6.75million, despite him only making three appearances during his loan spell.

However, since making his move to Porto permanent, Loum has struggled for