Promotion-chasing Reading want to sign West Ham United's unsettled forward Paolo Di Canio on loan, club manager Alan Pardew said today.
Di Canio, due back in England this week after undergoing treatment on his injured knee in Italy, is unhappy that relegation-threatened West Ham have not offered him a new contract.
"We might have enough to get into the Premiership without bringing Di Canio here but he would certainly improve our chances and if he is available I think it could be great for him and great for us," Pardew said.
"We've made contact formally regarding a loan and no more than that. I've asked the chief executive about the financial implications of bringing him here and the implications of how attendances would be affected, and how it all adds up."
Reading, who have never played in the top flight, are third in division one and set to qualify for the end-of-season promotion playoffs.
Di Canio's West Ham contract expires at the end of the season.