Brendan Rodgers is eyeing a reunion with former Celtic attacker Patrick Roberts; it has been claimed.
According to The Sun, Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers wants to sign Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts. The 22-year-old has returned from a disappointing loan spell at Girona and only has one year left in his current contract at the club.
As a result, Rodgers is keen to bring him to King Power Stadium for a nominal fee of £4m as he aims to add more options to the attacking department this summer.
Patrick Roberts: A smart choice by Rodgers
Leicester City have struggled to replace Riyad Mahrez following his move to Manchester City last summer. Although signing James Maddison turned out to be a masterstroke, the likes of Demarai Gray and Marc Albrighton haven’t quite been able to fill in Mahrez’s shoes or come up with the numbers to make up for the goals which the Algerian used to guarantee.
Both the wingers failed to surpass the five-goal mark. And while Harvey Barnes did show some promise during the second half of the campaign, the 21-year-old lacked productivity, scoring just one goal in 16 matches. Hence, the addition of a new wide-attacker could be imperative if Leicester City are to finish in the upper echelons of the Premier League table.
Roberts, in that regard, could be a smart choice by Rodgers given their strong relationship. The duo worked together during their time at Celtic when Roberts enjoyed the best time of his career. The 22-year-old was most notably involved in 23 goals during the 2016/17 campaign, helping Celtic exert their dominance in Scottish football.
And although Roberts failed miserably at Girona last season, featuring in just 593 minutes of league football, he still has the quality to improve the Leicester City attack in this new season. For one, the 22-year-old is a versatile winger, who can feature on both flanks – making it easier for Rodgers to accommodate him in the first-team.
It also means that he can provide cover as well as offer competition for the wide trio of Gray, Barnes and Albrighton. Furthermore, his tendency to beat his man and cut-inside should benefit the two marauding fullbacks in Ben Chilwell and Ricardo Pereira.
However, Leicester could face stiff competition in their pursuit of Roberts, with Rodgers’ former club Celtic also said to be interested in his services. Hence, the Foxes will need to make sure that they don’t miss out on the opportunity to sign this winger, who can prove to be an asset in the long, hard and competitive season starting in August.