Sunderland are expected to announce the signing of Manchester City’s Patrick Roberts this afternoon, reports Lyall Thomas.
Sunderland are close to completing a deal to lure the winger to the Stadium of Light.
Roberts, 24, has spent the first-half of this season on loan in France with Troyes.
However, he is now poised to join the Black Cats in League One and the transfer is likely to happen today according to Sky Sports reporter Thomas who has tweeted:
Expecting #Sunderland to announce the signing of Patrick Roberts this afternoon #safc #mcfc https://t.co/OzHTtF6aQx https://t.co/aejC57PTSA pic.twitter.com/1BamhhTY3Y
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) January 21, 2022
Current situation
Roberts is way down the pecking order at Manchester City and is being given the green light to head out the exit door.
He joined the Premier League champions in 2015 from Fulham and has since made just three first-team appearances for their first-team.
The former England youth international has been loaned out to Celtic, Girona, Middlesbrough, Norwich City and Derby County over recent campaigns to get game time under his belt.
Where will he fit in at Sunderland?
Roberts will give Sunderland more competition and depth in attacking areas and getting this deal over the line will be a statement of intent by Lee Johnson’s side.
He is a player who was tipped for a very bright future as a youngster but has struggled to find consistency due to being on loan at a different club every season.
The wideman did well during his three years on loan at Celtic and helped them win the Scottish Premiership title in every campaign. If he can rekindle the form he had with the Hoops then the Black Cats will have a top player on their hands.