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The Royals are reportedly sidelining a fully fit Shaun Goater in order to avoid paying a further fee to Manchester City, the Bermudians former employers.
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But Goater remains stuck on forty-eight appearances, and despite a catalogue of recent injuries to Dave Kitson, Nicky Forster and Lloyd Owusu, Steve Coppell has refused to field Goater, heightening speculation that Reading do not want to pay a further transfer fee.
The ex-Rotherham striker was not included in the Royals matchday squad for the recent matches against QPR, Leicester and Wolves although he has been available for selection.
Despite the fierce rumours neither Reading Football Club or Shaun Goater are prepared to comment on the terms of the deal that brought him to Berkshire.
Steve Coppell told the Royal Gazette: "A few people have asked me about his (Goater's) situation. First and foremost, contract talk is private and confidential and I won't talk about contracts.
"What made my mind up about Shaun is that we've got other forwards and I see them ahead of him in our pecking order at this moment in time."
However, with Coppell prepared to let the frontman go out on loan, it would appear that Goater will not be featuring in the Royals first team in the near future. Indeed, some believe that he may have played his last game for the club.
The 34-year-old frontman signed for Reading in August 2003 for an undisclosed fee in the region of £500,000, although some of that fee is bound to be linked with appearances.
Considering that Goater is unlikely to play for the first team, it is possible that Coppell will look to bolster his attacking options over the next few weeks.
With Dave Kitson sidelined until February, the Royals boss will wish to add to Lloyd Owusu, Dean Morgan and Nicky Forster - his trio of available attackers.
As Forster's long-term future is somewhat up-in-the-air, getting a new frontman in could become a matter of urgency for Coppell.