Former Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Bradford City winger 'in talks' with club as shock move mooted

The 31-year-old has been a free agent since the end of the 2023/24 season, when he was released by West Bromwich Albion.

He had a spell training with Swansea City earlier in the campaign but did not win a contract with the Wales-based side.

It now appears he could drop into League Two, with Football League World claiming Carlisle are in discussions about bringing Reach on board.

While he may not have seen any action this season, Reach would arguably be a major coup for the Cumbrians.

A move to the club would also reunite Reach with his former Wednesday teammate Kadeem Harris, who joined Carlisle in November.

Reach started his career at Middlesbrough, making 77 appearances for the club between 2011 and 2016. During his time at the Riverside, he was loaned out to Darlington, Shrewsbury Town, Bradford and Preston North End.

Wednesday signed the winger on a permanent deal in 2016 and he spent five years at Hillsborough, scoring 24 goals in 230 appearances before linking up with West Brom.

Back in October, Reach spoke candidly about his free agent status and conceded he would move down the pyramid for an opportunity.

He said: "I'd go down, I'd go sideways, I'd go everywhere. The whole world is an option for me right now.

“I think I'm just shy of 400 games in the Championship, but I'm not naive enough to think that I deserve to be in the Championship just because I've played there for the last 10 years or whatever.

"If there's an opportunity that comes up pretty much anywhere, I'd jump at the chance. I'm quite lean and naturally fit. Apart from last season when I tore my quad, I've never had any major injuries. In my opinion, I could play for another six, seven, eight years minimum. I just need someone to pick up the phone."