Reading manager Jaap Stam has revealed that Rafael van der Vaart "phoned" the Championship outfit this summer offering his services for the new season.
Various reports have linked the 33-year-old with a move to the Madejski Stadium in recent days and Stam has confirmed that there has been contact between the two parties.
"I can tell you that he phoned us about wanting to play for us," Stam is quoted as saying by getreading. "We didn't have any contact with him, we weren't looking for him. He phoned us because he wants to prove to everybody in Europe that he is still a very good player."
Van der Vaart, who has 109 caps for Netherlands, is available for a cut-price fee this summer after being told that he has no future at current club Real Betis.
The attacking midfielder has represented Ajax, Hamburger SV, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur during a well-travelled playing career.
