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Celtic favourites to land Manchester City’s Patrick Roberts – will the attacker return?
Celtic have been named as the favourite to land Manchester City star Patrick Roberts by , with odds of evens.
The 20-year-old is currently trying to earn himself a place in Pep Guardiola’s City squad and has played in friendlies against Manchester United and Real Madrid, but a return to Parkhead would be warmly welcomed by both Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers and the club’s fans.
Southampton are priced at 13/8 to claim him, Huddersfield behind at 14/1, and a stay at City currently stands at 7/2.
Is it possible Roberts might return to Celtic Park?
The sublimely gifted attacking midfielder spent 18 months on loan with the Bhoys, stealing the hearts of fans and becoming an instant favourite with his uncanny ability on the ball, his long range goals and eye-catching skill.
Although they were desperately hoping for the club to splash some cash to keep him permanently, Roberts returned to City when his loan was up, after helping Celtic win a momentous domestic treble.
According to , Roberts left Glasgow believing that he had ‘achieved all he could’ with the Scottish champions.
However, Roberts is not short of admirers and whilst under the careful eye of Southampton, as reports, Celtic will need to get in quick to snatch Roberts up.
A return to the Scottish champions could be the ideal move for the 20-year-old midfielder, especially considering his current situation.
To break into Manchester City’s first team, Roberts would need to surpass the likes of David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Kevin De Bruyne.
Therefore, a City exit, albeit temporarily, might be the most viable option for him to play regular first team football.
Considering Rodgers has told that Celtic will look to sign the youngster should he become available, Roberts will be reassured that there is place for him under the former Liverpool head coach.
Rodgers said: “It’s something we would look at. Pat would be amazing for here. I think everyone could see that.
“But it all goes down to, one, Manchester City and how they see his future there. He has gone away on tour with them and got some game time.
“Two, the boy might not want to come back. He might want to play in the Premier League if he has somewhere to do that. He might fancy a spell in Europe. But what he knows is that he has a great place here if it comes to that.
“The club can bring him here. It’s more going to be whether the player sees this as the next step for him.”
It would also solve Celtic’s striker crisis if Roberts returned.
The search for another attacker is the Hoops boss’ priority now that Moussa Dembele is unavailable until September due to injury, but rather than looking for another front man when he has Griffiths, Rodgers would be better to look for a winger who can step in up front when required.
Roberts fits this position perfectly, and since there has been no clarification from City on what his future holds, a possible return would not be entirely far-fetched.