Jaap Stam.

The Dutchman has been identified by United owner Andrea Radrizzani as a possible replacement for Garry Monk after taking Reading to the Championship play-off final this season.

Reading finished third in the Championship but were denied promotion after losing to Huddersfield Town in a penalty shoot-out at Wembley last month.

Stam took up his first full management job at the Madejski Stadium last summer, named in place of former Leeds boss Brian McDermott.

Sign up to our daily newsletter The i newsletter cut through the noise Sign up Thanks for signing up! Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting...

Radrizzani, who was also interested in Huddersfield’s David Wagner prior to Town’s promotion, is now weighing up a decision over whether to approach Reading for permission to speak with the ex-Holland international.

Stam courted controversy in Leeds in December by criticising United’s support after Reading lost 2-0 at Elland Road.

A frustrated Stam, whose players were taunted with chants of ‘boring, boring Reading’ by the crowd, also accused Monk of using negative tactics after Leeds conceded the bulk of possession but won the game with two unanswered goals.

Radrizzani, however, was impressed with Stam’s performance as Reading finished with 85 points, seven points short of second place and 10 ahead of Leeds.

United’s owner has been meeting with prospective candidates this week and Stam is understood to be one of four names in the frame.

The former Manchester United defender has a year left on the two-year contract he agreed with Reading last summer and has been in negotiations about an extension to that agreement.

Leeds have been without a manager since former head coach Garry Monk resigned on May 25.