Celtic Could Join Blackburn Rovers And Southampton In Race For Sunderland Winger
Sunderland winger Patrick Roberts is subject of interest from Blackburn Rovers, Southampton and Celtic as the 26-year-old enters the final year of his contract, according to Alan Nixon.
Several sides have been alerted to the potential availability of Roberts, who has impressed for the Black Cats since joining in January 2022 from Manchester City. He is set to enter the final year of his contract and Tony Mowbray’s side are already planning for life without him after joining the race for former Charlton Athletic loanee Jesrun Rak-Sakyi from Crystal Palace.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is understood to be a huge admirer of the forward, who spent spells on loan with the Scottish giants in in 2016 and 2017 and could return north of the border should the Glasgow based side find the money needed to secure his services. He will however face competition from recently relegated Southampton, who look to continue their rebuild following a mass squad exodus following their return to the second tier. Russell Martin is keen to add to his squad as his side sit 4th after beating Plymouth Argyle last time out.
Blackburn Rovers are also “desperate” to secure the services of the 26 year old as Jon Dahl Tomasson continues to rebuild his squad after joining the side last summer. The Championship side fell to defeat at the hands of Hull City, after an early red card for Harry Pickering allowed the away side to secure all three points courtesy of a late Aaron Connolly brace.
With the race hotting up it is likely his price will also be rising as the side battle it out to secure his signature.
Writer’s View
The 26-year-old is rightly in demand as it is not often a player of his talent and experience comes available for a potentially cut price deal. It will be a loss for Tony Mowbray who has continued to utilise the player despite the interest from elsewhere. I should think that they would rather see him return to Celtic should they need to allow him to leave, rather than face him in the Championship this season as they look to gain promotion to the Premier League. However, the question remains as to whether Brendan Rogers can secure enough funds to land him.
