Reading goalkeeper Vito Mannone is close to agreeing a loan move to the USA.

The Italian shotstopper has been out of favour under new Royals boss Jose Gomes and he has been exiled from the first-team squad.

football.london understands the 30-year-old is set to end his stay with Reading by linking up with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Minnesota United for the rest of 2019.

Mannone has played 47 games for the club after being signed by Jaap Stam in July 2017.

The former Sunderland, Hull City and Arsenal goalkeeper is best remembered by Royals fans for his crucial penalty save in March 2018, which earned the side a vital 1-0 win over QPR.

Mannone's contract with Reading runs out in June 2020 and is highly unlikely to be renewed.

Gomes signed Emiliano Martinez on loan from Arsenal in the January transfer window, while fellow senior shotstoppers Anssi Jaakkola and Sam Walker are also on Royals' books.

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Mannone's loan departure to Minnesota is set to be announced later in the week.

The regular American season runs between March and October, while the cup play-offs take place in October and November.

Minnesota have been playing in the University of Minnesota's American football stadium for the past two years, which holds more than 50,000 fans.

The club, which finished 10th in the MLS Western Conference last season, are set to move into a new ground - Allianz Field - in March. The capacity is 19,400.

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