Patrick Roberts has rejected Manchester City’s efforts to send him out on loan to La Liga new boys Girona, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that Roberts, 20, is now just days away from completing a return to Scottish treble winners Celtic on a season-long deal after he “resisted attempts” to be sent out on loan to La Liga.
The former Fulham attacker proved himself to be lethal in front of goal during his 18-month stay at Parkhead, which ended in May, as he scored 17 goals and supplied 21 assists in 60 appearances across all competitions.
It is understood that the England youth international will travel to Glasgow within the next few days in order to finalise his switch to Celtic, where Brendan Rodgers has made him his top summer target.
Good move for Celtic?
Absolutely. Roberts wrote himself into the history books last season as he helped the Hoops win the Scottish treble without a single defeat. His imminent return spells bad news for the likes of Callum McGregor and Jonny Hayes, who will be pushed down the pecking order at Parkhead with the Man City man set for a second-spell in Glasgow. It’s understandable that City wanted him to spend a season in La Liga with Girona. He would have learned a lot by playing against the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. However the player looks like he wanted to go back to Celtic, which is very commendable.
This Is Futbol rating: 10/10
Likely to happen?
With Roberts seemingly just days away from being a Celtic player once more, it looks like it will happen. The only stumbling block might be that Man City are very keen on him going overseas to get more first-team experience. They also might want to wait until Celtic’s spot in the Champions League group stages is secure. Barring a miracle in Kazahkstan this week, it seems very likely that Rodgers’ side will be in the draw for the next round.
This Is Futbol rating: 9/10