Dutch defender agrees to Madejski Stadium move

Reading Football Club are delighted to announce that Dutch defenderhas agreed to sign a three-year contract at Madejski Stadium.The 22-year-old Amsterdam-born defender spent a short spell training with the Royals towards the end of last season and, having successfully completed a medical at the club at the end of last week, is now set to make the move from Eerste Divisie side FC Dordrecht this summer.Manager Brian McDermott said, “I’m really pleased to have Danzell on board. He was first brought to our attention by Brian Tevreden, our new Technical Director, who spoke highly of him having worked with him previously.“We brought Danzell in for a few days last month, he trained and played with us - and he is a player capable of playing in various positions, with an awful lot of potential. I’m delighted to have secured his services so early in the summer.”A former youth international with the Netherlands, Gravenberch was part of his nation’s triumphant UEFA European Under-17 Championship squad in 2012 – lifting the trophy alongside former Royals loanee Nathan Ake after a penalty shootout win over Germany in Slovenia.A 6’1” product of the famed Ajax Academy, whom he joined at the age of eight, Gravenberch signed his first professional contract at the Amsterdam ArenA ten years later in 2012.He went on to spend a loan spell at NEC before a move away from Holland for the first time to join Universitatea Cluj in Romania two years ago.He returned to his homeland to join Dordrecht last summer and the Amsterdam-born defender has now made the move to the UK by agreeing to terms at Reading, a contract which will keep him at Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2019.The transfer is due to be completed when the window is opened next month and will then be subject to the normal ratification procedures from the relevant football authorities.