READING FC boss Jaap Stam could face a battle to keep Jordan Obita at Madejski Stadium, reports suggest.

Obita, 23, is entering the final year of his contract and is being chased by a host of rival clubs including Middlesbrough, Hull, Fulham and Birmingham.

The Royals Academy product's current deal expires at the end of the 2017/2018 season and the Chronicle understands there are no fresh terms on the table.

The wing-back excelled under Stam last season and his contract situation has prompted a host of potential suitors to express their interest in signing the Oxford-born star.

Ex-England youth international Obita has spent his entire career at Madejski Stadium having made his way up through the club's academy ranks.

He played 41 times for Royals last season and excelled in the Championship play-off semi-final first leg against Fulham, scoring in a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

Obita also played in the play-off final against Huddersfield but devastatingly missed a penalty in a shoot-out at Wembley as Stam's men lost to the Terriers.

The Oxford-born defender is currently in Holland with the Royals' first-team squad.

Stam's men face another friendly double-header tomorrow when they take on Eredivise side Sparta Rotterdam (11am local time) then Cercle Brugge from the Belgian second division (1.30pm) before flying back to the UK.