Boss Richie Barker says the chances of Hope Akpan returning to Crawley are “very slim”.

Reading are thought to be considering sending the midfielder out on loan with Reds rumoured to be keen to take him back to the Checkatrade.com Stadium.

Akpan made an instant impact at the Madeski Stadium after joining the Royals for £600,000 from Crawley in January but has found first team opportunities limited this season. His only start came in the 6-0 Capital One Cup defeat against Peterborough while his only league appearance came as a late substitute against Yeovil.

Barker said: “I saw that rumour too but I don’t know how it came about. Obviously Steve (Coppell, director of football) has good contacts at Reading so the possibility may have cropped up but it hasn’t gone any further than that.

“If we had the chance to sign Hope it is something I would seriously consider but I would say the chances are very slim. I don’t know what plans Reading have for Hope but from a financial point of view it would be tough for us to do anything.

“I would also query whether Hope would want to drop back into League One after working so hard to get to a higher level.”