McDermott keen to keep Mills

Mills: Considered to be ready for a shot at the Premier League

Reading boss Brian McDermott is hoping to keep his squad intact, and that includes retaining the services of Matt Mills.

The highly-rated centre-half is the latest Royals star to be linked with a summer switch away from the Madejski Stadium, following the club's defeat in the 2010/11 Championship play-off final to Swansea.

Wolves and Stoke are reported to be among those chasing the 24-year-old, with it felt that Mills is ready to make the step up into the Premier League.

McDermott is hoping he will stick with Reading, though, with it important for the club to fend off any approaches for their key men if they are to stage another promotion push next term.

Grown

"He (Mills) wasn't in the team when I got the job. He has grown in the last year as a player and as a person," McDermott told the Bracknell Forest Post.

"I made him skipper and at centre-back we have some really good players. It is a good group here and the group is everything to me. We want to keep our best players.

"There will be interest in a lot of our players for sure. When it comes about and is concrete then clubs will speak.

"If something comes then we will make a decision on what's right for the club. From my point of view we want to keep this group together."