Celtic are trying to secure a permanent deal for Manchester City’s Patrick Roberts. The teenager was on loan at the Parkhead for the last one and a half seasons and has been very effective for the Scottish Champions.
The English U-20 International has been a vital part of Brendan Rodger’s side as they went on to secure a domestic treble this season. Celtic’s dominance in the Scottish Premiership was so severe that no other teams in the League have been able to offer a challenge to them as they achieved the ‘Invincibles’ title.
Manchester City splashed £12m for Roberts when they bought him from Fulham in 2015 and will be looking to recover most of this money but Celtic are reportedly not ready to shell this much. Celtic value Roberts at £5m and they are prepared to spend that much only for the U-20 star.
Talks have been held between the two clubs over a possible transfer but the negotiations regarding the transfer fee have struck a discordant note for both the clubs. Roberts featured only three times for the Citizens but his loan spell at the Parkhead seemed to have skyrocketed his value.
Celtic are also set to earn a windfall if Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk decides to move elsewhere. The Dutch defender has been the star attraction in the transfer market and a number of clubs including Manchester City and Liverpool are lining up a bid for him. Saints are expected to get at least £60m for the defender and Celtic are set to be bolstered by this as they had inserted a sell-on clause at the time of his selling. The Hoops could use this money for the transfer of Roberts.
Roberts initially was not on Rodger’s good books as the winger was not the typical winger that Rodgers had been searching. Rodgers wanted his wide mans to track back and help the fullbacks but Roberts was not prepared fully for the role. But his transformation in the last few months was very eye catching as the winger took his chances very well to emphasise his presence in the team.
Predominantly a right winger, he is equally effective on the opposite flank and is also very useful across the midfield. City already have a number of options in that position and shouldn’t have any problem releasing him. However, they would certainly want to gain as much as they can and Celtic have to fulfil their demand.
