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Championship side Reading are close to completing the signing of Alfa Semedo from Benfica, according to claims from the Portuguese media today.

Newspaper Record is the one saying the 23-year-old midfielder ‘should’ be joining the Royals on a loan deal.

The outlet highlights the fact that Semedo came close to moving to Preston North End, something which was denied by sources close to the club, but it’s now Reading who seem to be winning the race.

They say Benfica will ‘save’ €600k by sending him to England and letting the Royals pay his wages.

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Benfica signed Alfa Semedo from Moreirense in the summer of 2018, but the midfielder only featured for the Eagles for six months.

In January 2019, he was sent to Espanyol on a short loan deal. Then he spent the last season at Nottingham Forest, where he made 24 appearances in the Championship.

Just a week ago, the Portuguese media had been claiming that Reading were waiting for some kind of approval from the FA to make the move official. Now whatever they meant at the time, it seems the Royals were successful.