Celtic join Tottenham and Euro clubs in transfer pursuit of Irish starlet as Rodgers hunts for more attacking firepower

Brendan Rodgers has confirmed that Celtic are working on a couple of deals behind the scenes with negotiations taking place to bring Arsenal and Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back to Parkhead on a pre-contract.

The Hoops boss appears to have one eye on the future after recalling youngsters Johnny Kenny and Dane Murray from their respective loans at Shamrock Rovers and Queen’s Park for the second half of the campaign.

And fresh developments suggest Rodgers wants to add more attacking firepower to his squad with a move being plotted for St Patrick’s Athletic forward Mason Melia after his recent emergence in the League of Ireland.

According to The Sun, the Premiership leaders have emerged as a strong contender to land the 17-year-old forward, who has made 54 appearances across all competitions for the Dublin-based outfit, notching ten goals and three assists in total.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international is attracting plenty of suitors from clubs in south of the border and across Europe with English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur keeping tabs on the teenager’s progress after seeing a £1 million bid for his services rejected last month.

It’s also claimed German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt and Belgian outfit K.R.C. Genk are ‘admirers’ and they have a slight advantage to recruit the attacker this month. Due to Brexit rules, Melia wouldn’t be permitted to leave St Patrick’s to join any clubs in Scotland or England until next year when he turns 18.

Fellow countryman and international team mate Kenny is expected to become Celtic’s third-choice striking option after returning to first-team training at the start of the week, with Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah ahead of him. And Rodgers wants more increased competition across his forward line with Melia’s rapid development noted by Celtic’s recruitment team.