Manchester City and Liverpool are in the midst of a transfer battle to secure the future of Fulham wonderkid Patrick Roberts.
According to The Sun, both Premier League giants are desperate to sign the 18-year-old—who is considered to be one of the brightest young teenagers in the English game—and are set to battle for his services.
The two club have recently done business together as another highly-rated English talent, international forward Raheem Sterling, swapped Anfield for the Etihad Stadium in a £49 million deal [BBC Sport].
The attacker had made no bones about his desire to leave Merseyside this summer, and got his wish earlier this week when he secured a big-money move to the Citizens [Standard].
Following the sale of their prized asset, Brendan Rodgers finds himself with money to burn, and is understood to be keen on investing £5 million of the Sterling windfall to bring the teenage Roberts to Anfield.
However, City have already had a comparable offer rejected by Fulham, who are understood to want roughly double that fee for their youngster.
The Cottagers are also keen to tie the player down themselves, and have offered him a five-year deal worth £5,000 per week as they look to either secure his future or increase his value ahead of a possible sale.
SEE ALSO:
Man United: Agent of top £35.5m transfer target flies to Old Trafford to seal move as Sergio Ramos deal looks unlikely
Man United planning £50m Angel Di Maria-Edinson Cavani swap deal to sign PSG hitman
Tottenham quoted £5.6m for potential replacement for Man United transfer target
Roberts moved to Fulham from Wimbledon in 2010, and made 17 appearances in the Championship last term—of which only two were starts. The right-sided midfielder has represented England at every level from U16 to U19.
According to the Daily Mail, should City secure the player, they would immediately look to loan him out, meaning that Fulham may stand a chance of getting another year or two out of the wonderkid.