Reading director of football Nick Hammond has admitted that Kevin Doyle has "earned the right" to a move back to the Premier League this summer.

The Republic of Ireland international has attracted substantial interest from the top flight after scoring 18 times in the Championship last season and is expected to leave for a fee in the region of £6.5million.

Hammond told the Reading Evening Post: "The interest has been followed up strongly by a number of clubs recently and now we are waiting to see what happens.

"If the valuation is met then, in my opinion, he has earned the right to go where he wants.

"I can't speak for Kevin and say where he will go - he is more than capable of speaking for himself. He is a Premier League quality striker, so it is unrealistic on our part to expect him to stay.

"He is such a good professional and I would love him to stay, but my gut feeling is he will move in the next few weeks."