•  Celtic and Southampton are interested in signing Sunderland’s Patrick Roberts before the transfer deadline.
•  Sunderland may have to sell Roberts as he is in the final year of his contract and they want to secure a fee for him.
•  Roberts may be open to leaving Sunderland for Southampton or Celtic, who offer the opportunity for promotion and Champions League football respectively.

Celtic and Southampton are interested in signing Sunderland’s Patrick Roberts ahead of the transfer deadline.

Celtic & Southampton tracking Patrick Roberts

The 26-year-old has been an inspired signing by Sunderland, joining in 2022 and helping them to promotion from League One in his first six months.

Roberts was also a key performer last season, scoring five goals and registering seven assists as the Black Cats reached the play-offs, where they would go on to lose to Luton over two legs.

So, Tony Mowbray would be reluctant to lose the versatile attacker, but it appears there is plenty of interest in the player, as Sun journalist Alan Nixon revealed that Celtic and Southampton want Roberts.

Will Sunderland sell Patrick Roberts?

In a normal situation, Sunderland would be reluctant to sell Roberts, but the situation is complicated by the fact that the former Fulham man has entered the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light.

Therefore, this is their last chance to get a fee for the wide man, so if fresh terms aren’t agreed then they may have to look to cash in.

That means there is a lot of power for Roberts, and he can almost control where his next step will be. Of course, that doesn’t mean he will leave, as he is clearly enjoying himself at Sunderland, with Mowbray’s attacking style of play suiting Roberts.

Would Patrick Roberts want to leave?

Following on from that, you would think it would take a very appealing offer to convince Roberts to go, but you could make a case that Southampton and Celtic offer just that.

With the Saints, many will see them as genuine automatic promotion contenders, so the player may see them as a route back to the Premier League.

The appeal of Celtic is obvious as well, as they’re a huge club that will be able to offer Champions League football this season, whilst Roberts has a connection with the club having spent time at Parkhead earlier in his career.

That includes working under Brendan Rodgers, and it was a hugely productive time for Roberts, who excelled in Scotland.

So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out, and whether the interest results in a formal offer for Roberts.

Sunderland summer transfer plans