Harrogate Town are close to completing the signing of Birmingham City defender Mitchell Roberts, according to Football Insider.

The 20-year-old, who was the subject of interest from Manchester City back in 2019, has been with the Blues for almost ten years, although he hasn't yet made a first-team appearance for the St Andrew's outfit - with the youngster a regular in the Under-23s.

Roberts signed a new contract with Birmingham in July, but needs to be playing regular senior football, and a move to the EFL new boys Harrogate appears to be close, with the centre-back expected to move to Wetherby Road on loan for the remainder of the season.

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Harrogate have enjoyed a solid first campaign in the Football League and currently sit 17th in the League Two standings, five points clear of the relegation-zone.

The Verdict

This is an excellent move for Roberts, who'll be hoping that Harrogate will provide the perfect platform for the defender's first experience in first-team football.

Having made himself a regular in Birmingham's youth teams, Roberts needs to be playing in the Football League, and this would appear like a great opportunity for the defender to test himself in the senior game and hopefully get a run of games in the team in the coming weeks.