Celtic leading race to sign Mason Melia from Irish side St Patrick’s

Celtic is now leading the race to sign St Patrick’s Mason Melia, reports Football Insider.

The 16-year-old is set to be the subject of a formal offer by the Scottish Champions despite interest from Manchester City, Everton and Brighton.

The wonderkid has drawn the attention of leading clubs after making his senior debut for St Partick’s at the age of 15. He put pen to paper on a professional deal that sees him remain at the club until 2026.

With 43 senior appearances, the youngster has found the net seven times and has three assists to his name. He has 26 caps for Ireland across several youth levels, with 11 goals in total. He also represented his country at the under-17s Euros last year, scoring two and creating two as he helped his side reach the quarter-finals of the tournament.

If Celtic were to make a move for the centre-forward, he would be unable to play in the Hoops until his 18th birthday. Due to Brexit rules, he wouldn’t be able to move to the UK until this time.

Therefore, it’s likely that any deal would involve a clause allowing him to stay at St Patrick’s until he turns 18.

Although Brighton are also in a strong position to secure his signature, he may be convinced that he has a clear pathway to the first team at Celtic thanks to players like Liam Scales and Mikey Johnston featuring for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Melia would be a statement of intent from the Celts and would be a brilliant player to have on the books. He looks really talented for someone so young so as long as he was given chances to perform instead of being hidden away in the B-team, then he could certainly put in a shift in Scotland.

Amidst Celtic’s interest in the youngster, Chelsea are reportedly upping their interest in Celtic’s star midfielder Matt O’Riley.

Jessica Elliott