READING FC boss Paul Clement insisted he will not shut the door on Liam Moore should the defender choose to remain at Madejski Stadium.

The 25-year-old handed Clement a transfer request on Friday in order to force a move to the Premier League.

Brighton & Hove Albion have chased Moore all summer and are expected to return with a fresh offer for Reading's player of the season.

However, boss Clement revealed he holds no grudges against Moore and urged the former Leicester City man to stay at Madejski Stadium.

"I would like Liam to stay," asserted Clement.

"He is a really good player and we want to keep our good players here.

"At the end of the day it will be down to our owners and whether they want to sell him or not. 

"The timing is not ideal but if he stays then great, if not we'll have to look at bringing in another good player.

"I'm positive we will have a good outcome to this."

Moore was left out of Clement's squad for the 4-0 thumping by Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.

But the manager insisted he would welcome Moore back to his first-team squad with open arms.

He continued: "There are no surprises in football. He's one of our best players and in the eight games I was here at the end of last season I think he was the stand-out individual.

"There's always going to be clubs who want your best players. I would just like to say he is a really good player and I hope he ends up staying here.

"These things never work out in an ideal situation but we'll manage it. Everyone has got enough experience to deal with these situations.

"We'll be ready to act if we need to (bring in a replacement) but hopefully it will be a positive outcome and he will still be here with us."