What does the future hold for Reading’s club record signing?
READING FC striker George Puscas looks set to depart this summer despite failing to help Pisa secure promotion to Serie A.
The 26-year-old striker spent the second-half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan with Serie B side Pisa where he netted eight times in 19 appearances.
However, Pisa missed out on winning promotion to Italy’s top flight after they lost out 4-3 in the play-off final to Monza.
It is believed that the Italian side had the option to purchase Puscas for €5million if they were promoted, however that figure has dropped to €2.5milion after they failed to go up.
Hopes were high when the Romanian forward joined the Royals for a club record initial fee of €8million from Inter Milan in August 2019.
Despite showing early promising signs after arriving in Berkshire, which included two goals on his home debut against Cardiff City and an astonishing quickfire five-minute hat-trick away at Wigan Athletic, things haven’t worked out as well as hoped.
He ended his debut season in England with 12 Championship goals and 14 in all competitions from 42 appearances.
However, in the next season under Veljko Paunovic, Puscas struggled for game time as Lucas Joao enjoyed an excellent scoring season.
Puscas netted just four times in 21 league games in 2020/21 and scored once in 25 games in the first-half of the 201/22 season before being sent out on loan to Pisa.
Having recovered his scoring touch in Italy, it now looks likely that Puscas will secure a permanent move away from Reading this summer.