Patrick Roberts might be a January transfer target for Southampton, according to FLW reporters.
Patrick Roberts, a winger, was able to resist summertime interest from other teams and remain a member of Sunderland’s squad for the current campaign.
Since moving to the Stadium of Light, the 26-year-old has restarted his career, and his performance wasn’t overlooked in the summer.
When Roberts’ contract reached its final year in the summer, interest in him increased, with Championship rival Southampton showing the most interest.
Ross Stewart was acquired by the Saints from the Black Cats, and they also had their £5 million offer for Roberts turned down.
Southampton’s chase of Roberts hasn’t ceased despite their inability to reach an agreement; according to Sunday Mirror Sports Editor Darren Witcoop, the Saints are monitoring Roberts’ situation since his contract is set to expire in June 2024 if he doesn’t sign a new one.
Since Southampton hasn’t given up on trying to buy Roberts, our writers at Football League World have discussed whether they think Sunderland will sell the winger in January.
Worthington, Brett
Sunderland could face the possibility of selling Roberts if a new contract cannot be reached with him in advance, making the January transfer window extremely challenging for them.
The reason for this is that Sunderland won’t want Roberts to finish the season at the club and extend his contract. Given that they turned down offers in the summer, it is clear that they believed they could persuade the player to sign a new contract. However, as of this writing, that has not occurred, and as January draws nearer, it appears there may be a real prospect that the Black Cats will need to sell the winger in order to prevent him from leaving on a free transfer.
However, if there isn’t a breakthrough, it doesn’t seem like there is much purpose in Sunderland keeping the 26-year-old beyond January, when he is most certainly going to leave at the end of the season. Tony Mowbray and Sunderland will be keen for that not to happen. It is unclear what Sunderland would demand for the player, but given that they turned down a $5 million offer in the summer, it is clear that they place a far higher value on him. However, with six months left on his contract, it is unlikely that Southampton or any other team would offer that price in January.
Sam Rourke
Sunderland won’t want to let Patrick Roberts go in January given that he has continued his superb play from last season in this year’s campaign.
He and Jack Clarke, in particular, provide Tony Mowbray’s team with creativity, cunning, the capacity to generate opportunities and breach opposing defenses, qualities that are uncommon and crucial to a team like Sunderland with promotion hopes.
Given Roberts’ contract predicament, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Southampton make a new offer for the ex-Celtic player in the January transfer window; however, it appears the Saints will have to shell out more money than the £5 million that was initially proposed and later rejected in the summer.
Sunderland should take every possible step to lock down Roberts to a new contract before January comes around because he has the potential to be one of the top midfielders in the division on his best days.
The fact that Roberts’ contract renewal with the team took so long to complete means that a transfer away in the coming months cannot be completely ruled out.
As Southampton lingers, Louis-Dreyfus needs to resolve this as soon as possible and secure him on a new contract.
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