Former England international Theo Walcott is training with Reading, the Reading Chronicle understands.
The Berkshire-raised winger, who previously played for Newbury, made his name at Arsenal.
Playing over 300 times for the Gunners, and picking up nearly half a century of caps for England, the 34-year-old has been at Southampton since 2021.
The Saints were relegated, finishing bottom of the Premier League, and the veteran has announced he is leaving the club that gave him his professional debut as a 16 year old.
New Royals boss Ruben Selles was a fan of Walcott, featuring regularly at the back end of last season.
Understand Theo Walcott is at Bearwood as we speak. Still digging around whether it's just for some local training or something more long-term. Was very keen on a move last season but it fell through #readingfc
— James Earnshaw (@james_e1871) June 28, 2023
Training with Reading as pre-season gets underway, it remains to be seen whether it is with a long-term move in mind or just to stay fit over the summer.
Paul Ince was interested in bringing Walcott to Reading last season, joining fellow former England teammate Andy Carroll at the SCL Stadium.
It is thought that Ince's side were wanting to pick him up as a free agent, as the club has already used all of its allotted loan spaces.
However a move never materialised as Southampton decided to keep the winger, who scored twice.
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