Reading FC is no longer waiting in takeover exclusivity: the club announced a sale in principle to Redwood Holdings Limited on 3 May 2025, and BBC Sport reported that Rob Couhig completed the takeover that month. The earlier exclusivity period is now part of the timeline, not the current status. Dai Yongge was required to divest his interests, but the public statements do not establish a specific current position from Nigel Howe or identify him as a party to Couhig’s later-reported dispute with the seller.
Who owns Reading FC now?
Rob Couhig completed his takeover of Reading FC in May 2025, according to BBC Sport. The club’s announcement on 3 May described the transaction as a sale in principle to Redwood Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Dogwood Football LLC owned by Couhig and Todd Trosclair. At that point, Reading said completion was still subject to final legal technicalities.
The announced sale included the club, Select Car Leasing Stadium and Bearwood Park Training Ground. The distinction matters: the club announced the agreement in principle on 3 May; the later BBC report supports that the takeover was completed in May.
Is Reading FC still in takeover exclusivity?
No. Exclusivity was a stage in the sale process, not a continuing status. Reading FC said on 7 October 2024 that it had agreed an exclusivity period with a potential purchaser. On 27 March 2025, the club confirmed that exclusivity remained in place. The club then announced the sale in principle to Redwood on 3 May 2025, followed by the reported completion later that month.
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Key dates
| Date | What was reported |
|---|---|
| 7 October 2024 | Reading FC announced an exclusivity period with a potential purchaser; the proposed sale included Dai Yongge’s shareholding, the stadium and Bearwood Park. The club also reported an EFL registration embargo linked to late filing of its 2022–23 accounts. |
| 27 March 2025 | The club said exclusivity remained in place and described litigation with Couhig and an alternative-security proposal intended to address a security impasse and facilitate a sale. |
| 22 April 2025 | The EFL said it had extended Dai’s divestment deadline to 5 May and was monitoring the club’s immediate cash-flow requirements. |
| 3 May 2025 | Reading announced a sale in principle to Redwood Holdings Limited, subject to final legal technicalities. |
| May 2025 | BBC Sport later reported that Couhig completed the takeover. |
The dated statements are from Reading FC, Reading FC, the EFL, and Reading FC.
What was Dai Yongge’s position?
Reading FC said in March 2025 that Dai was required to divest his interests in the club under the terms of his director disqualification and was committed to doing so. The EFL’s April deadline extension and the subsequent sale announcement show the regulatory timeline, but the announcement of a sale in principle alone did not establish that divestment had been completed.
The EFL’s January 2024 statement provides earlier context: it said Dai had not met an ordered deadline to fund the deposit account and imposed a further £50,000 fine, bringing the total to £80,000. That is a historical regulatory figure, not an update on his current financial position.
What is Nigel Howe’s role in the takeover?
The public statements cited here do not establish a specific current position from Nigel Howe in the takeover, nor do they identify him as a party to Couhig’s later-reported dispute. It would therefore be unsupported to describe Howe as the seller or to attribute a stance to him based on these statements.
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What is known about Couhig’s dispute with the seller?
In a summary of a supporters’ Q&A on 2 October 2025, Reading FC reported that Couhig said he was in dispute with “the seller” and would keep quiet until Christmas. The summary does not name the seller in that remark, explain the dispute or report its outcome. It does not connect Nigel Howe to the matter.
Separately, on 2 January 2026, BBC Sport reported Couhig’s denial of suggestions that Bearwood Park would be sold or the academy downgraded. He said: “There are no plans to sell the training ground and there are no plans to downgrade the academy – both are vital parts of the club’s present and future and any suggestion otherwise is inaccurate and misleading.” This is Couhig’s stated position as reported by the BBC, not evidence of a sale or a completed change to the academy.
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Sources: Reading FC’s Q&A summary; BBC Sport, 2 January 2026.
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