Reading FC manager Paul Ince revealed that he has had “very positive talks” with club owner Dai Yongge ahead of a new contract, and that a decision will be made next week.

The former Manchester United and England midfielder joined the club in February as interim manager until the end of the season, but with just one match remaining attention has turned to the summer and next season.

Ince told the media two weeks ago that he was set to have a meeting with Mr Yongge, which he has since had, but states that a decision is still yet to be made.

Speaking ahead of the final day of the season trip to Luton Town, the 54-year-old said: “We’ve had a meeting, a good chat. There will be a follow up meeting and then it will be decision time. It was a good chat, a very productive chat, a very positive chat. There are still a few little things we need to sort out but overall, it was good.

“We need to get moving, whether it be me as a manager or someone else, as pre-season starts in six weeks. We know the situation regarding contracts, so we need to get players in and do that very quickly. The sooner we can resolve this, one way or another, the quicker this club can move forward.

"There is no deadline, things have to be right for both parties, but the quicker we get to the decision the quicker we can move forward. Everyone wants to know, so the quicker we can come to a decision everyone can relax more and start planning for the future. We have so many things to do, it’s going to be a busy summer so whoever is in charge will have to move fast.

"There will be a decision by next week."

 

Reading Chronicle:

 

As Ince alluded to, the contract situation at the club is unprecedented.

Up to 17 first team players are out of contract at the end of next month, and with financial restrictions imposed on the club many are unlikely to sign a new deal with the club.

However, the former Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers boss insists that he has his eye on “six or seven” who he would like the keep beyond the summer.

He continued: “There are six or seven from what I’ve seen who I would like to retain but its whether you can keep them. When you’ve got good players out of contract the vultures start circling and they have to make the final decision. They need to know what I’m doing first because they need to know who the manager is, the quicker they know who the manager is the quicker we can have conversations on how they see it.

“I know who I’d like to keep and that’s why we have these meetings, to get on the same page. The owner is the owner, he’s ploughed a lot of money into this club we shouldn’t forget. He wants to take his club to the Premier League that’s something we have to thank him for as he’s trying hard to do that. Keeping players is the managers decision, it’s the scouting decision, the recruitment decision, we decide- that’s what we get paid for. With the budget, we can’t bring in the best players, but it doesn’t mean we can’t bring in good players. It’s going to be a busy summer.”