According to latest reports, Leicester City have agreed upon a £10m bid for Manchester City’s Patrick Roberts. This deal is completely separate from the £60m Riyad Mahrez transfer to the Etihad, although Roberts might make his move prior to that of the Algerian’s.
Roberts is coming off his third season out on loan with Celtic during which he had registered three Scottish Premiership titles. He has so far racked up 18 goals and 24 assists in 72 appearances for the Glasgow-based outfit.
Primarily a winger by trade, Roberts can be impactful from the shadow striker role as well. He is highly agile and can weave his way through tight spaces with ease. The Kingston-born player has been capped 47 times for England national team at various youth levels.
Other than making 3 senior team appearances for Manchester City, Roberts has not been involved with the proceedings of the club since making his switch from Fulham in 2015. The 21-year-old still has two more years left in his contract with the Citizens.
Roberts is a product of the Lillywhites’ youth academy, having joined the side from AFC Wimbledon when he was only 13. He made 22 appearances for the former Championship outfit before getting traded to City for £12m.
Despite spending most of the previous season on the sidelines, Roberts has shown a lot of promise in the Celtic ranks over the past two-and-a-half years. He has the potential to succeed at an elite level, which could start immediately at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester made some improvements in the 2017/18 campaign to finish in the 9th spot of the Premier League as opposed to their previous season’s 12th. However, the team did show bouts of inconsistency that hindered their chances of making a run for one of the European qualification spots.
Claude Puel still has his job and the club needs to make the necessary additions to prepare for the departure of Mahrez. The Algerian is a huge part of the club’s offence who won himself the PFA Player Of The Year Award in the title-winning 2015/16 season.
Roberts is expected to replace the 26-year-old on the right wing but could be implemented from different positions as well. At 21, he has the years of him to grow into his predecessor’s shoes in the English top-flight.
Read More: Liverpool Urged To Sign 25 Y/O English World Cup Star: The Solution Of Defensive Woes For Klopp?
Leicester could also look to relocate a few of the club’s assets like Islam Slimani and Ahmed Musa to make additions to the other parts of the pitch.
