Sources: Sunderland agree to sign Man City star Roberts
Sunderland have agreed to sign Man City star Patrick Roberts, Football Insider can exclusively reveal.
The League One giants are putting the finishing touches for a deal for the left-footed attacker ahead of the opening of the January window on Saturday.
A Sunderland source has told Football Insider that Roberts, 24, has told French club Troyes he is cancelling his loan to make the move to the north-east.
Roberts was at the Stadium of Light on Thursday to watch Sunderland’s 5-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
He remains on the books of Premier League champions City, who he joined from Fulham for a fee of £11million as a 17-year-old in 2015.
But the England Under-20 international's career has stagnated since the end of his second loan spell at Celtic in the summer of 2018.
Roberts has just six months remaining on his City contract and he is set to leave in the summer on a free transfer.
He was previously a big success at Celtic, where former manager Brendan Rodgers hailed the winger as a "brilliant" player and a "big talent".
The left-footed attacker initially joined Celtic on an 18-month loan in 2016, scoring 18 goals in 78 appearances while winning seven trophies at the club.
He has failed to hit the same heights since.
Roberts has made just three senior appearances for City and spent the last four seasons out on loan.
Spells at Spanish club Girona in 2018-19, English clubs Norwich City and Middlesbrough in 2019-20 and Middlesbrough and Derby County in 2020-21 have been followed by this season's loan at Ligue 1 outfit Troyes.
Roberts has made just two appearances this term, including only 13 minutes of action in the league.