Royals boss sparks Hunt for star

Sunderland are also thought to have expressed interest in the 27-year-old winger, who has clearly stated his intention to move back into the Premier League. Rodgers told the Reading Chronicle: "I will always pay respect to players. "Once you've been in the Premier League and have shown that you can play in there, it can be very difficult to spend your time in the Championship. "It's not something new, I think Stephen was looking to go last season but decided to stay right through thinking Reading might go up."