Celtic leading race to sign a young star from Irish side St Patrick’s

The 16-year-old will receive a formal offer from the Scottish Champions, even though Manchester City, Everton, and Brighton have expressed interest in him.

Leading clubs have taken notice of the wonderkid since he made his senior debut for St Partick’s at the age of 15. He signed a professional contract that will keep him with the team through 2026.

The youthful player has made 43 senior appearances, scoring seven goals and dishing out three assists. Across all youth levels, he has 26 caps for Ireland and has scored 11 goals overall. He also played for his nation in the previous year’s under-17 European Championship, when he assisted his team to the quarterfinals by scoring and creating two goals.

The center striker would not be able to play for the Hoops until he was eighteen if Celtic made a bid for him. He wouldn’t be able to relocate to the UK until this point because of Brexit regulations.

Because of this, any agreement would probably include a condition letting him remain at St. Patrick’s until he turns 18.

He might be persuaded that he has an easy route to the Celtic first team by players like Mikey Johnston and Liam Scales, who play for Brendan Rodgers’ club, even if Brighton is also in a strong position to sign him.

Melia would be a fantastic talent to have on the roster and a declaration of intent from the Celts. He appears incredibly gifted for his age, so if given the opportunity to play rather than being kept in the B-team, he could definitely contribute in Scotland.

Chelsea is reportedly increasing its interest in Celtic’s star midfielder Matt O’Riley in response to Celtic’s interest in the young player.