Sources: Major update on Sunderland bid to sign Man City ace Roberts
Sunderland are confident of completing the signing Man City star Patrick Roberts, Football Insider has learned.
This site broke the news last Friday (31 December) that the League One outfit had agreed a deal for the 24-year-old winger.
Now a Sunderland source has updated to tell Football Insider that all parties expect the deal to go through soon.
They are just waiting for his loan deal with French club Troyes to be terminated, to free him up to move to the north-east.
Roberts has already been at the Stadium of Light, watching Sunderland’s 5-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday last Thursday.
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.
However, the winger has played just three times for City’s senior side in his six-and-a-half-year spell at the club.
He has spent time on loan at six different clubs, including two spells at both Celtic and Middlesbrough.
His most eyecatching performances came during the 2016/17 season at Parkhead.
Roberts scored 11 goals and contributed 19 assists as the Bhoys secured a domestic treble.
However, his career has stalled since and he was shipped on a season-long loan to Troyes in August.
He has made just two appearances for the Ligue 1 outfit and is set to cut his spell short to join Sunderland.
Roberts is set to join a Sunderland side flying high in their hunt for promotion in League One.
In other news, Phillips has issued a ‘big’ Dan Neil claim after confirmed Sunderland transfer news.