Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Roberts blow to ambitious Celts
C E LT I C ’ S c h a n c e s o f signing Patrick Roberts ahead of their final Champions League qualifier suffered a major blow when the winger was included i n Manchester City’s travelling party for a training camp in Catalonia.
Celtic are hoping t o re-sign the 20-year-old on loan following a successful 18-month spell in Glasgow and Roberts is believed to be keen on a return.
One of t h e p l ay e r ’s representatives, former St Johnstone and Hearts player Allan Preston, had admitted he expected his immediate f uture t o be resolved last week but City listed Roberts in a 25-man par ty which landed i n Girona yesterday.
Nice and Southampton have also been linked with loan bids for the former Fulham player.
Celtic can add one new player to their Champions League squad for tomorrow’s play-off first leg against Astana if the signing i s registered by 11pm tonight.
Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers revealed on Friday he had also been working on signing a new striker amid fitness i ssues for Leigh Griffiths and Moussa Dembele.
The latter will miss tomorrow’s Parkhead clash with a hamstring i njury while Griffiths was only handed a substitute’s role in Friday’s 1-0 victory over Partick Thistle amid an ongoing calf problem.
Celtic also have a shortage of central defenders. Erik Sviatchenko and Dedryck Boyata are missing with knee injuries and midfielder Nir Bitton was for tunate not to concede a late penalty at Firhill while playing at the back alongside Jozo Simunovic.