Tottenham Target Exciting Young Striker Likened to Harry Kane

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen to sign promising 16-year-old striker Mason Melia from Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic. The North London side had a £1 million bid rejected earlier this season but remain very interested in securing the talented youngster’s signature.

According to reports, St Patrick’s Athletic value Melia at £2 million – a significant sum for such a young player, but still considerably less than the £5 million Tottenham paid for Dele Alli in 2015. The club appears willing to meet this asking price to bring the “exceptional” talent to North London.

Despite his young age, Melia has already made an impact at senior level. Last season, he scored 7 goals and provided 2 assists in just 178 minutes of playing time across 35 mostly substitute appearances. This impressive strike rate of a goal involvement every 193 minutes as a teenager playing against adults has caught the eye of scouts.

Melia has also featured in Europa Conference League qualifiers this season, including matches against Turkish side Basaksehir. At international level, he has already scored for Ireland’s Under-19 team and netted 10 goals in 22 games for the Under-17s.

While signing such a young player from a lower-ranked league carries some risk, there is significant hype surrounding Melia. Talent scout Jacek Kulig has even dubbed him the “Irish Harry Kane”. For the reported £2 million fee, Tottenham may view Melia as an exciting prospect worth gambling on as they look to build for the future under manager Ange Postecoglou.