CELTIC manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed that the Parkhead club were willing to smash their transfer record for Patrick Roberts if Manchester City had been willing to sell.

The England Under-20 winger returned to Glasgow on a season-long loan deal in the final week of the transfer window after a summer of speculation that the Hoops would attempt to secure a permanent move.

Roberts impressed during an 18-month loan stint between January 2016 and the end of last season, playing a key role in the club’s unbeaten domestic Treble run.

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And speaking at a charity event in Belfast to raise funds for the Northern Ireland Hospice, Rodgers confirmed that Celtic were willing to spend big to sign the 20-year-old outright.

“We would have broken our transfer record for Patrick,” he said.

“We wanted to find the deal that would get him back here. But he’s a Manchester City player.

"We could have offered them £30m and they would have said no.

“They didn’t want to sell. So the best option was to get him back on loan.”