By Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

6th Jun, 2023 | 7:53am

Revealed: Bristol City open talks to sign Brighton star Roberts - sources

Bristol City have opened talks to sign Brighton defender Haydon Roberts on a free transfer, sources have told Football Insider.

Roberts, 21, is out of contract later this month and he will be leaving the Premier League club as a free agent.

The defender spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Derby County and made 46 appearances during his time with the Rams.

Roberts can play centre-back but largely played as a left wing-back during his time at Pride Park which demonstrated his versatility.

The 21-year-old joined the Seagulls’ under-18s side in 2017 before graduating to the senior set up in 2021 and the following year he was sent on loan to Derby.

Roberts has made six appearances for the first team at Brighton and scored one goal across those outings, all of which came in League Cup outings.

The centre-back has featured heavily for the clubs’ youth teams during his time at the AMEX.

Roberts has also represented England at youth level, most recently for the under-18s team where he made five appearances in the sides’ international friendlies.

The youngster’s Derby coach Paul Warne was massively impressed by the defender during his spell at Pride Park.

As quoted by DerbyshireLive (11 April), Warne said Roberts is “excellent” and was “a real standout performer” during his time at Derby.

Bristol City are looking for defensive reinforcements in an attempt to push up the Championship standings next season after finishing 14th in the 2022-23 campaign and have identified Roberts as an ideal addition to the squad.

In other news, Brighton set to announce new signing to replace Liverpool-bound ace.