Manchester City wide forward Bersant Celina is set to join Ipswich Town on loan after snubbing a move to Leeds United, according to reliable journalist.
ESPN FC reporter Pete O’Rourke claimed on Twitter on Friday morning that Celina will link up with Mick McCarthy’s side on loan from Premier League giants City.
The 20-year-old told Norwegian outlet NRK this week that Leeds United were one of three Championship clubs he could join this summer as he ponders a move to secure regular playing time.
The publication cited Celina as saying that United were one of three England second-tier outfits in the race to sign him, along with Ipswich and Bolton Wanderers.
But ex-Sky Sports correspondent O’Rourke, who is a reliable source of transfer information, reported on his personal Twitter account that Celini is heading to Suffolk for the 2017-18 campaign.
Manchester City attacker Bersant Celina set to join Ipswich on loan. #MCFC #itfc
— Pete O’Rourke (@SportsPeteO) June 16, 2017
The Kosovo international has caught the eye of second-tier clubs in England after emerging from the ranks at City to thrive during a loan spell at Dutch side FC Twente in the recent domestic campaign.
He has publicly accepted that he faces a major battle to break into the City team, which has already been strengthened further this summer by the signing of winger Bernardo Silva for £43million.
“The plan is to play in the Championship. I’m going to try to find a club there. It will be one of them [Leeds, Ipswich or Bolton] Then we’ll see,” Celina told NRK.
The youngster has a growing reputation following his exploits at FC Twente, where he scored five goals and supplied five assists in 27 league matches and established himself as a mainstay of the team.
Celina, who has made only four senior City appearances, is an attacking player who can be deployed in any of the three positions behind the main spearhead, although he predominantly plays on the left flank.
He is a Norway under-21 international but switched his allegiances to Kosovo last year and has already accumulated four senior international caps.
McCarthy’s Ipswich finished 16th out of the 24 teams in last season’s Championship, nine places and 20 points adrift of seventh-placed Leeds.