JOSEPH Mendes has sealed his move to Reading after signing a two-year deal at Madejski Stadium.

The speedy striker completed his transfer from French outfit Le Havre for an undisclosed fee on Friday.

The 25-year-old forward becomes Reading's third new addition this summer after Danzell Gravenberch and Joey van den Berg, and boss Jaap Stam is confident the versatile forward will add plenty of pace to his attack in the Championship next season.

"Joseph is the type of player we have been looking for and the sort of player we need in this team," said Stam.

"He has good height, he is strong on the ball, he's quick and he's a goalscorer as well.

"He can play in a central role as a striker or in a wider forward position, so he gives us good options. And I'm really pleased we have secured his signature."

Mendes scored nine goals in 24 Ligue 1 starts for Le Havre last season including four in the last three league games.

The 6ft 1ins striker helped the Normandy-based side to a fourth-placed finish ahead of the likes of Lens and Auxerre. They narrowly missed out on promotion to the top tier to rivals Metz on goals scored.

Stam may decide to hand Mendes his first start in England later today when Reading open their pre-season campaign at Boreham Wood, who will name ex-Royals striker Yakubu in their side.

Royals are likely to name a mixed squad of first-team and Academy players, and assistant manager Andries Ulderink said: “We will be using a lot of players throughout the game.

"We want to use the game to develop our way of playing and we also want to try and see all the players throughout the pre-season games to give them a fair chance to show us their skills.

“Players need to be fit but they also need to get used to the way we want to play."

Meanwhile, Reading midfielder Aaron Tshibola is expected to complete his £5 million move to Aston Villa within the next 48 hours.