Reading owner Dai Yongge is ‘open to the sale’ of the club’s Bearwood Park training complex to raise short-term funds for the club.

The crisis-hit League One side have had six points deducted this season due to financial issues.

The English Football League has previously urged Dai to ‘fund the club adequately’ or make ‘immediate arrangements’ to sell.

The club statement read: ‘Mr Dai is currently evaluating every option at present to secure sufficient funding until new ownership is confirmed. In doing so, he is open to the sale of Bearwood Park, should an appropriate offer be received.

Dai Yongge is ‘open’ to selling Reading’s Bearwood Park training ground for an ‘appropriate’ price

The club quickly needs to raise funds but selling the training ground would be perceived as another step in the wrong direction under Yongge

‘Whilst dialogue with potential new ownership groups are progressing, as of today no single party has been granted exclusivity. Mr Dai, and representatives, will continue to liaise with interested parties and hope to move forwards at the earliest possible opportunity.

‘Further communication with substantive developments will come as appropriate.’

Reading fans have been protesting against Dai’s ownership and in January around 1,000 supporters invaded the pitch during their match against Port Vale, leading it to be abandoned.

Ruben Selles’ side are 18th in League One, just five points above the relegation zone. 

They have been deducted six points campaign – four for late payment of wages and two for failure to meet HMRC payment obligations. 

In total, they have been deducted 18 points throughout Yongge’s ownership, which began in 2017. They have already lost their Championship status and could yet slip to League Two. 

The Royals have also been given a further suspended points penalty of two points, which will be activated if the club fails to pay amounts owed to HMRC, other clubs or any football creditor up until the end of the season. 

Yongge was fined £100,000 which followed his ‘repeated failures to deposit an amount equal to 125 per cent of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill in a designated account’, with the Chinese businessman given a deadline of March 18 for payment.

Reading fans have staged multiple protests against Yongge under the campaign ‘Sell before we Dai’

Reading have been fined six points this season, plunging Ruben Selles’ side into a League One relegation battle

However, the EFL’s Independent Disciplinary Commission opted against disqualifying Yongge from owning the club due to the ‘potential adverse consequences’ it could have on Reading.

In a statement, the EFL urged Yongge to either adequately fund the club or sell his shareholding.

They said: ‘If Mr Dai fails to comply with the prior order of the IDC to meet the deposit requirement within 28 days a further suspended fine of £100,000 will be activated and an additional fine of £100,000 will be imposed if the money is not received within five weeks.

‘Mr Dai has demonstrated an unwillingness to support the club’s current financial commitments, in contrast to his approach following the change of control in 2017. That is creating significant uncertainty, and the current impasse has to be broken.

‘Therefore, the league urges Mr Dai to provide his club with the appropriate resources needed while at the same time accelerating his efforts to sell his majority shareholding to new owners, so that everyone associated with Reading, including staff, supporters and the local community, can move on and prepare for a positive future.’

In response to the latest deduction, Sell Before We Dai, a pressure group set up to demand a change of ownership at Reading, released a statement slamming the EFL.

They said: ‘It is clear that Reading’s issues are entirely down to Dai Yongge, so obviously it makes complete sense to punish the fans, staff and players of Reading Football Club with further sporting sanctions – especially for an infringement that provides no sporting advantage.

Reading are 18th in the third tier and just five points above the relegation zone, having just come down from the Championship 

‘Given the ongoing sales talks at Reading, the timing of today’s punishment is spectacular. Imposing a points penalty which increases our chances of relegation and therefore decreases the prospect of our club being sold is completely misguided. 

‘While we understand that the league has a responsibility to its members and Dai Yongge is clearly running the club with impunity, no club in the EFL is asking for another club killed. 

‘The EFL claims to be on the side of the fans, instead – yet again – they disproportionately punish those who care the most over those who care the least.’

Yongge took over Reading in 2017 and after initially spending heavily – which included breaking the club’s transfer record twice – he has left the Royals in a dire financial state, although he has so far refused to sell.

The Royals have faced multiple points deductions under his ownership, with a six-point penalty last season ultimately condemning them to relegation from the Championship.

Fans have regularly protested against the Chinese businessman, with a league game against Port Vale in January abandoned after just 16 minutes when fans invaded the pitch to demonstrate against his ownership. Reading were handed a three-point suspended penalty.