READING FC has confirmed that midfielder Tom Ince has departed the club to join Championship Watford for an undisclosed fee.
It is believed that Ince had a relegation clause inserted into his Royals contract that allowed him to leave the club for around £50,000.
The 31-year-old joined the Royals in January 2022 originally on a loan swap deal from Stoke City as Liam Moore went to the Potters.
Ince was then joined at the club by his father, Paul Ince, who was appointed as first-team manager in February to replace Veljko Paunovic.
Tom Ince then joined on a permanent basis last summer on a three-year contract and enjoyed a strong personal campaign despite Reading’s 22nd place finish.
His dad was sacked as manager with five games to go as Tom Ince missed the crucial concussion to the season as Reading were condemned to the drop and will now play in the third tier of English football for the first time since 2001/02.
The midfielder played a pivotal role in helping Reading to a fantastic first half of the season and was named as the club’s player of the season, scoring nine goals and claiming four assists.
The Royals are now looking to rebuild under new boss Ruben Selles who is set to be appointed once his work visa application has been approved.
