'Talks underway' - Everton in pole position for 16-year-old wonderkid wanted by Chelsea, Man Utd and Man City

Everton have reportedly started talks over a move for Irish wonderkid Mason Melia.

Melia, 16, has been regarded as one of the best talents in Ireland and is currently attracting attention from Chelsea and Manchester United. He also had a trial at Manchester City in August 2023.

The forward is currently contracted to Dublin-based outfit St Patrick’s Athletic and has already broken into their first team, scoring four times in 20 games for the senior side. He is yet to make his debut for the Republic of Ireland U19 side but he managed nine goals in 19 games for the U17 side and a debut is only a matter of time. According to Football Insider, Everton are in 'pole position' for his signature. Talks are said to be underway over a deal ahead of the summer window as the Merseysiders work on finalising a deal and they are hoping to pip their Premier League rivals to the deal. It's also reported that Liverpool had a keen interest last summer, but nothing materialised. Currently valued at £86k (€100k) on Transfermarkt, Everton should expect to pay a much improved fee compared to that, with St. Patrick's likely to insert a sell-on-clause to secure some money for the future.

The youngster joined St Partick’s youth set-up in 2022 and made his first-team debut in the Leinster Senior Cup in January last year. Coming off the bench, he scored a consolation goal in their 3-1 defeat to Wexford but became St Patrick’s youngest-ever player and goalscorer aged 15 years and 132 days. He even played 33 minutes in the club's 3-1 FAI Cup final victory over Bohemians to win his senior trophy last season and he has certainly hit the ground running despite his age. As it stands, his current deal has him tied down to the Irish club until 2026 but a move away in the near future seems to be on the cards. Boasting a similar playing style to Brighton and Irish striker Evan Ferguson, he is tall and agile and clearly has a strong potential.