CELTIC have joined Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Middlesbrough teenage hotshot Calum Kavanagh.
The 16-year-old Irish youth forward has caught the eye of a host of clubs with his goalscoring exploits for Boro’s Under-18s.
Sun Sport exclusively revealed that had led both the Gunners and Blues to begin planning a move.
Now The Herland.ie claim the Scottish champions are ready to battle with the Premier League big guns for his services.
Celtic have managed to bring the likes of Moussa Dembele, Armstrong Okoflex, Luca Connell and Jonathan Afolabi north of the border from England over recent years.
And they hope those examples will help convince the striker they can offer him a faster route to the first-team.
Boro are desperate to keep hold of the youngster – who is the son of Cardiff and Stoke legend and ex-Irish international Graham Kavanagh – with the ace also keen to stay.
However, the Teessiders are yet to tie him down to a long-term package, with the player believed to want a shorter deal in order to see how his career develops over the next year or so.
And that has only encouraged interested parties to circle, with rivals Newcastle and Leicester City also plotting swoops.
Discussing his boy’s future recently, Kavanagh senior said: “Middlesbrough are speaking to him about a contract, as they have been for the last number of weeks.
“We will have to see where that goes and what happens with that.
“For the age he is at and what he is doing, he is certainly a better prospect than I was at that age.
“He’s got a great mindset, is very professional, very driven and tough, mentally strong. He’s definitely got a chance.”
