Tottenham in pole position to land 10-goal teenage sensation, with official date he can move known

Tottenham are leading the race ahead of their Premier League rivals to land Irish teen sensation Mason Melia, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Melia is regarded as one of the best young talents to emerge from Ireland after impressing for Dublin-based outfit St Patrick’s Athletic and for Republic of Ireland’s youth sides over the course of the last two years.

A host of Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have been credited with an interest in Melia, but Tottenham are in pole position to land the teenager.

The 17-year-old has already made over 50 senior appearances for St Patrick’s Athletic across all competitions after making his debut last season as a 15-year-old.

The talented forward has scored 10 goals in 54 appearances for St Pats and has also netted nine in 19 caps for Republic of Ireland U17s.

Melia, who cannot move to the United Kingdom until he turns 18 due to Brexit rules, is under contract at his current club until 2026.

Tottenham see Melia as a potential star in the making and they are keen to steal a march on their rivals by firming up a move for the teenager as soon as possible.

Spurs are eager to build a strong base of youth in their under-21s by signing young players who they can eventually develop into first-team players in north London.

Of late, they have signed the likes of Min-hyeok Yang and Lucas Bergvall who are both 18 years old and seem capable of bedding themselves into the first team at Tottenham.

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Tottenham round-up: Attacking exits possible

Though Melia could add to the attacking ranks at Spurs, they may be depleted with a couple of exits.

Reports suggest Ange Postecoglou has seen enough of Timo Werner, and will decide not to sign the forward once his second loan spell with the club is up.

Dejan Kulusevski could also move, with AC Milan advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic desperate to get the Swede to sign for his club.

In terms of inbound transfers, Tottenham will reportedly use the January transfer window to prioritise the centre-back position for when Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romeo are out.

The report did not name any specific centre-backs who are being targeted.

Melia in profile

Melia became St Pats’ youngest ever player and goalscorer after netting from outside the area after coming on as a sub in a match in January 2023.

He set another record as the club’s youngest debutant in the league when making another sub appearance in May 2023. In June 2023, he became not just the club’s youngest goalscorer, but the entire League of Ireland’s, by scoring aged 15 years and 281 days.

He celebrated his 16th birthday by winning and scoring a penalty in a game against Dundalk. In November 2023, Melia signed his first professional contract, and three days later he became the youngest player to feature in an FAI Cup final, picking up a winner’s medal by the end of it.

His first European appearance followed in July 2024 as he lined up in a Conference League match. By September 2024, he had reached the tally of 10 goals for St Pats, a couple of days before turning 17.

And in October 2024 he was called up to the Republic of Ireland U21 team for the first time after previously starring for his country at U15, U16, U17 and U19 level.

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