Patrick Roberts doubt should encourage Celtic to target Manchester City team-mate Bersant Celina

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Manchester City will loan out Bersant Celina this summer and Celtic have the ideal opportunity to challenge Bolton Wanderers for his signature.

Celtic’s Patrick Roberts in action and manager Brendon Rodgers

Whether Patrick Roberts will return to Celtic this summer on a permanent deal is anyone’s guess.

After a fine 18 month loan spell at Parkhead, the Evening Times report that the Scottish treble winners have made a bid of £5 million for the Manchester City winger.

However, it is still yet to be determined whether City manager Pep Guardiola wants to give Roberts an opportunity at The Etihad next season – or indeed whether Celtic can afford to meet the club’s asking price.

Celtic want Patrick Roberts to return

As such, it would make sense for Celtic to put a contingency plan in place if the deal proves impossible to reach. Therefore, a year-and-a-half after Roberts arrived at Parkhead as a wafer-thin yet technically gifted teenager, could Celtic replicate that successful deal with another City starlet?

Contingency plan

According to Bolton News, City will send 20-year-old attacker Bersant Celina out on loan next season with Bolton Wanderers one of a number of clubs interested.

Manchester City rate Bersant Celina very highly

And the Kosovan international could be an ideal back up plan for Celtic. Like Roberts, Celina is a creative attacking midfielder blessed with superb dribbling ability and the vision to carve apart opposition backlines.

During a loan spell in the Eredivisie with FC Twente last season, Celina scored five goals and laid on four assists, helping Steve McClaren’s former club finish an impressive seventh in the Dutch top flight.

And while a short-term loan may not ease the disappointment of Rodgers potentially missing out on his top summer target, the arrival of Celina would compensate for the loss of Roberts’ creativity and eye for goal. However, they will have to move quick with the player admitting he would be open to a short-term switch to Bolton.