Reading’s first arrival of the summer is 22-year-old centre-half Kristine Bjørdal Leine from Røa IL.
Manager Kelly Chambers told readingfc.co.uk: “Kristine is a player that I have been watching for some time. She is a fantastic player and has excellent all-round attributes …. one that is going to really strengthen my squad. She has a great character and work ethic and will fit in well with the current group that I have.”
Leine has five senior caps to date for Norway, recently helping her compatriots to lift the Algarve Cup.
She broke into the Røa side as a teenager in 2015, helping her club to a third-placed finish in the Toppserien. The following season, she was part of a squad which finished runners-up in the Norwegian Women’s Cup.
Leine added: “I felt an instant connection with Kelly and loved her plans for me and the club. It will be a new challenge for me and I am very much looking forward to it. I believe I will develop a lot as a player and as a person by making this move.”
