London : Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has agreed a contract with Reading, the English Premier League club said Saturday. The Russian is likely to join the newly-promoted team on a free transfer in a week s time after receiving a work permit, the club said.

"The player has already completed a medical and the deal is now only subject to the player obtaining a U.K. work permit," Reading said in a website statement. "Reading Football Club anticipate completing the signing within the next seven days." Pogrebnyak spent the second half of the season on loan at Fulham from German side Stuttgart, where his contract is set to expire.

He made an instant impact at Fulham with five goals in his first three games but managed only one more goal after that as he notched up a total of 12 appearances for the London team. Pogrebnyak has scored eight times in 33 appearances for Russia, and made a fleeting appearance as a substitute in the shock 0-1 defeat to Greece at Euro 2012. Before joining Stuttgart, he won the Russian Premier League and UEFA Cup with Zenit St. Petersburg while playing alongside Andrei Arshavin, now at Arsenal.