Celtic’s pursuit of Shamrock Rovers youngster Michael Noonan looks under threat as Chelsea now enter the race for his signature.
We exclusively revealed that Celtic wanted Noonan back in November as the scouting team looked to secure fresh talent for the Academy.
This weekend it looked like Celtic could miss out on Noonan after Fabrizio Romano revealed that the Bundesliga club were looking to match Shamrock Rovers’ €2m asking price.
And now, it seems that Celtic face even more competition as Chelsea enter the fray this week.
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Is the Irish market ideal for Celtic?
Chelsea ‘track’ Celtic target Michael Noonan
The English Premier League giants are now said to be keeping an eye on Noonan after Hoffenheim failed to meet Shamrock Rovers’ asking price.
The Irish Examiner reports, “Chelsea are the latest superpower to track Irish teen Michael Noonan as TSG Hoffenheim, third in the Bundesliga, failed to reach the valuation of €2m set by Shamrock Rovers with initial bids.”
The report also says that Barcelona considered bidding for the youngster but switched their preference at the last minute.
Why Celtic are chasing Michael Noonan
Celtic clearly see young Noonan as a player who could be a star for the future as the 17-year-old striker garners attention from all over Europe.
Now a regular in the Shamrock Rovers first-team, Noonan is starting to prove he can handle senior football as Celtic continue to monitor him.
Here are his goalscoring career stats to date:
- Played: 51
- Goals: 12
- Assists: 5
- Honours: 1 x Irish league title, 1 x Irish Cup, 1 x Leinster Cup
It’s clear that Noonan has a great future in the game, let’s hope it’s at Celtic.
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