Barcelona midfielder Sergi Roberto has spent Christmas in England. The Mirror says Stoke expect to complete the signing of Roberto after he flew in for talks.

The Spaniard was once considered the heir to Xavi, but has since been overtaken in the pecking order by new signings Ivan Rakitic and Sergi Samper.

And with first-team minutes hard to come by the 22-year-old is looking elsewhere.

Roberto is keen to join fellow Barca academy graduates Marc Muniesa and Bojan in Staffordshire if the Britannia club can meet his lofty salary demands.