Ehibhatiomhan 'wants to stay' at Reading - Jacobson

Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan poses with a heart shape as he celebrates a goal Image source, Rex Features
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Reading chief executive Joe Jacobson says the club have made a contract offer to Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan

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Reading chief executive Joe Jacobson says the club have made a contract offer to forward Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and feels they are not "too far away" from reaching an agreement.

Ehibhatiomhan was one of 11 Royals first team players to be offered new deals in May but the forward is still yet to agree terms.

"We're still in contact with the agent and Kelvin himself," Jacobson told BBC Sport.

"We've gone back and forth a few times like we have done with lots of other players. It's not going to be easy, he's a top player and we want to put together a package that allows him to stay.

"We believe we have really done that with the latest contract offer we have handed out, at the moment we're still waiting to see what happens there."

Ehibhatiomhan, 22, came through the Reading academy and has gone on to make 92 appearances for the senior team, scoring 17 goals.

Last campaign he played 35 times and scored four times as Reading finished seventh in League One.

Jacobson came in as part of the new look board under owner Rob Couhig in May.

"At some point you have to kind of move on if it's not going to happen but we're doing everything we can at the moment to get him to stay," Jacobson said.

"The conversations that I and the manager have had with him show that he wants to stay as well.

"I don't think we're too far away but in football nothing is done until it's done, we're preparing for life with him and we're preparing for life without him."