Tomas Esteves set for loan move to English Championship club Reading

Tomas Esteves is to spend the remainder of the current season out on loan at English Championship side Reading.

Having previously been linked with moves to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Valencia, Reading are pulling off something of a coup by bringing in one of Portugal’s most highly rated prospects for the rest of the campaign, signing the Porto 18-year old on a season-long loan.

Reading are understood to not have the option to make the transfer permanent, with Porto retaining the belief that the teenage star will still go on to become a star that can sell for a significant sum of money in the future.

However, Esteves, it is known, is a player Porto were willing to sell this summer as they looked to raise further funds to balance the books, with his absence from the Porto matchday squads up to this point a major hint that he was not in manager Sergio Conceicao’s plans.

The young Portuguese right back is highly rated at Porto, but with the signing of Carraça on a free transfer added to the performances of Wilson Manafa and the presence of the versatile Jesus Corona, Porto were willing to see the talented teenager leave this window, with Reading the destination.

It is an impressive signing for the second tier English outfit; though Esteves was fully expected to depart this window, most had anticipated that he would be playing at an even higher level.

Esteves won the UEFA Youth League in the 2018-19 season, and is also one of the candidates to win this year’s prestigious Golden Boy award.