Fulham boss Kit Symons admits the club are resigned to losing wonderkid Pat Roberts to Manchester City for up to £11 million.

The Whites manager revealed he had sat down with the player and his parents in an attempt to convince him to stay - all to no avail.

"It's very difficult," Symons said after a 3-1 win at Crawley in a pre-season friendly. "He's handed in a transfer request now, and only got one year left on his contract.

"We want to keep all our best players, and build for the future, but there comes a point where we've got to do the right thing for the football club.

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"He could sign a pre-contract in January with a club and walk away for nothing, and we're mindful of that.

"(Discussions) are progressing, it's fair to say. He's in serious talks with them (City). I need to have people who are committed to the club though."

Roberts has only made 19 appearances for Fulham in two seasons after making his debut in the Premier League, ironically against Manchester City in March 2014.

Debut: Roberts in action with Manchester City's Pablo Zabaleta

But it was his appearances for Fulham U21s (see video) that took them to the FA Youth Cup final in 2014, and England U19s that first caught the eye.

"I sat down with Pat and his parents, but their minds were made up," Symons added. "We did everything we could to keep him - but we move on."