On 2 August, Givairo Read started for the Feyenoord side that beat Atalanta 2-1 at De Kuip. On the same day, in Italy, the papers were reporting a Roma bid of around twenty-five million euros to take him to Serie A. That is a figure worth reading alongside another number: last season in the Eredivisie, the Dutch full-back played sixteen matches.
The profile at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player | Givairo Read |
| Born | 2 June 2006 (20) |
| Place of birth | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Position | Right-back, can play left-back |
| Height | 1.75 m |
| Foot | Right |
| Club | Feyenoord, number 26 |
| Contract | Until 30 June 2029 |
| Last season | 16 Eredivisie appearances, 940 minutes, 1 goal, 3 assists |
| Previous season | 26 Eredivisie appearances, 2 goals, 6 assists |
| Youth international | Netherlands, from Under 17 to Under 21 |
From Amsterdam to Rotterdam
Read was born in Amsterdam in June 2006 and started out at AVV Zeeburgia, one of the city’s long-standing youth clubs. In 2017 he moved to Volendam, where he came through to the reserve side: with Jong Volendam he made 35 appearances and scored 2 goals, and he also picked up a first-team appearance.
In 2023 Feyenoord took him to Rotterdam. The surname he grew up with, incidentally, was not this one: it was Dundas, his mother’s name, later replaced by Read.
The season that made the price, and the one that froze it
The 2024-25 campaign was his breakthrough: 26 Eredivisie appearances, 2 goals and 6 assists. For a twenty-year-old full-back in his first season as a regular at a leading club, that is a strong return, and above all it is an attacking return, which is what the market pays for.
The 2025-26 season tells the other half of the story. Two muscle injuries, reported between November and January and then between January and April, took away the middle of his year. The final count is 16 league appearances for 940 minutes, with 1 goal and 3 assists, plus a handful of European games.
That is fewer than eleven full matches spread across a thirty-four round season. And this is exactly where the difficulty in valuing him lies: the price was formed on a twelve-month sample, and the following year neither confirmed nor contradicted it.
What he does on the pitch
The profile is that of an attacking full-back in a back four rather than a defender who lives on positioning.
The qualities credited to him most consistently are pace and endurance in repeated sprinting: he covers the flank up and down for ninety minutes without changing gear, and reaches the byline with the frequency of a player who does not need to ration himself. His attacking contribution shows up in assists more than goals, and he is the kind of full-back who delivers crosses from advanced positions rather than shooting from distance.
He is right-footed according to the technical profiles, but he has been used on the left as well, which says something about his willingness to play in a position where his foot does not help him.
The area to improve is defensive, and at twenty that is no surprise: in duels against more experienced forwards his solidity is not yet that of a finished full-back, and in a back four the right-back is the preferred entry point for attackers who start wide in order to cut inside.
He has himself named Denzel Dumfries as a reference, saying he feels like a similar type of player. The comparison captures the idea well, even if Read is several centimetres shorter and built differently.
What he has already won
Despite his age, he has some silverware. In June 2025 he was in the Netherlands squad that won the Under 19 European Championship in Bucharest, beating Spain 1-0 in the final. He has climbed the entire youth ladder: six caps at Under 17 level, nineteen at Under 19 with two goals, and a debut at Under 21.
The transfer situation
Every line here needs the conditional, because nothing is official.
According to Italian and Dutch reports, Roma have tabled a bid of around 25 million euros, going past a Nottingham Forest proposal said to have stopped lower. Feyenoord are reported to value the player at close to 30 million and to be in no hurry to sell, counting on another season to push his price up. Interest from Inter has also been mentioned. His current deal runs to 30 June 2029, which means the Dutch club is under no contractual pressure.
The market value attributed to him by the specialist databases sat at around 25 million euros in the spring of 2026, broadly in line with the figures reported in the negotiations.
What is still to be established
The question is not about talent. At twenty, with a six-assist Eredivisie season and a youth European title behind him, that is documented well enough.
It is about two other things. The first is the body: two muscle injuries in the same season, in a player whose output depends on repeated sprinting, is a data point to be examined rather than filed away. A full-back who runs like that has a narrower physical margin for error than a centre-back.
The second is the defensive context. In the Eredivisie an attacking full-back often plays with his team high up and the pitch in front of him. In Serie A a team defends for longer, shifts across more often, and the out-of-possession phase weighs far more in percentage terms. That is the step that has split attacking Dutch full-backs into two categories in recent years, and there is no way of knowing in advance which one he will land in.
Data and information gathered from public sources: Wikipedia, statistical and market databases, official line-ups, official squad lists for UEFA youth competitions, and Italian and Dutch sports press. Financial figures are press reports and should be read as estimates.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Givairo Read?
A Dutch right-back born on 2 June 2006 in Amsterdam. He plays for Feyenoord wearing number 26 and is under contract until 30 June 2029. He stands 1.75 metres, is right-footed and can also be used at left-back.
How much does Givairo Read cost?
There is no official figure because the transfer has not been completed. According to the press, Roma have tabled a bid of around 25 million euros, while Feyenoord are said to value the player closer to 30 million. These are press reports, not contractual data.
Why did he play so little last season?
Because two muscle injuries, reported between November and January and then between January and April, cost him most of the campaign. The final tally was 16 Eredivisie appearances for 940 minutes, with 1 goal and 3 assists.
What type of full-back is he?
An attacking full-back in a back four. The qualities most consistently credited to him are pace, endurance in repeated sprints and the ability to reach the byline and cross. The area to improve is defensive solidity in duels against more experienced opponents.
What were his numbers in his best season?
In 2024-25, his breakout campaign, he made 26 Eredivisie appearances with 2 goals and 6 assists. That is the season on which his current valuation was built.
