Patrick Roberts to Celtic transfer swirls may already have answer from Sunderland star as vital 'connection' remains

A return to Celtic has been floated for Patrick Roberts - and supporters hoping to see the winger back at Parkhead may already have their answer.

The 26-year-old is flying high with Sunderland and that has reportedly caught the eye of Brendan Rodgers as he looks to add to his options before the end of the summer window. Roberts moved to the east end of Glasgow on loan from Manchester City in January 2016 when Ronny Deila at the Parkhead helm before Rodgers a brought the attacker back for a second stint away from the English Premier League champions.

The winger went on to have a succession of further loan spells with clubs such as Girona, Norwich City, Middlesbrough, Derby County and Troyes, but made a permanent exit last summer for the English Championship side. But reports now suggest he could be set to leave the Stadium of Light before September 1 with a "growing interest" from Celtic and Southampton also "considering" a move.

The Newcastle Chronicle report that Crystal Palace kid Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has been lined up a replacement for Roberts with an exit on the cards - and the the forward's connection with Rodgers could prove to be a trump card in the signing race. Speaking to the Athletic last year, Roberts declared the Celtic boss had a major impact on his career: "I didn’t really know what to expect at Celtic and I didn’t play for the first couple of months.

"I played reserve games and stuff, then got an opportunity and ended up scoring about six goals and winning the league. Then they changed managers and Brendan Rodgers came in.

"He was great, helped me a lot, played me a lot, tried to improve my game. I really felt I belonged somewhere and with a manager who takes care of his players, not just me.

"He wanted