Exclusive: Celtic and B… race to sign M… Read More.
Exclusive: Celtic and B… race to sign M… Read More.
Celtic and Brighton are leading the race to sign 16-year-old Mason Melia from St Patrick’s Athletic, according to sources from Football Insider.
Although Manchester City and Everton had previously shown strong interest in Melia, Celtic and Brighton have now taken the lead and are preparing formal offers.
Despite Melia having a trial with Manchester City last year, no contract materialized. Everton was also keen earlier this year, but negotiations did not result in a deal.
Melia is highly regarded and has made 43 senior appearances for St Patrick’s Athletic, scoring seven goals and providing three assists.
He has played in the Europa Conference League qualifiers and represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels.
Brighton has a history of successfully integrating players from the League of Ireland into their first team, such as Andrew Moran, Aaron Connolly, and Evan Ferguson.
Celtic, with strong connections to Ireland, hopes to secure Melia’s signature, providing him with a clear pathway to first-team football alongside current Irish internationals Mikey Johnston, Bosun Lawal, and Liam Scales.
In other news, Dominic Calvert-Lewin may be considering leaving Everton.