Reading striker Lucas Joao has piqued the interest of Championship rivals West Brom, according to reports.

The Angola international has been on fire since arriving in Berkshire since 2019, netting 38 goals in 83 appearances for the club.

Suffering injury in pre-season, the former Sheffield Wednesday forward scored within eight minutes of his return in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers.

According to Football Insider, Steve Bruce has 'registered interest' after striker Daryl Dike faces two months out.

The report mentions the Royals' financial difficulties, currently under a transfer embargo due to breaking profit and sustainability regulations.

Before the season began, Reading Director of Football Operations, Mark Bowen, cooled any transfer links with Joao- stating 'there's no chance of Lucas Joao going anywhere.'

Speaking to the media beofre the seaosn began, he said: "Purely from a football point of view I think he’s one of the best strikers in the leagues, so we have to make sure his availability is better than it has been. From a financial point of view, it doesn’t matter if we get paid £50m from Lucas Joao we can’t use that money this year. Mr Dai is not in the habit of accepting money for his players. They’re like his babies.

"They’re here to stay because he wants them to stay. In that respect I would like to think that there’s no chance of Lucas Joao going anywhere because the owner wants him to stay, I want him to stay, the fans want him to stay. Even if it was an extraordinary amount of money, I don’t know how we’d use it to the best effect."