North East rivals Sunderland and Boro are reportedly going head-to-head, with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic expected to let Luca Connell go.
Celtic youngster Luca Connell has found himself at the centre of a deadline day tug-of-war between north east neighbours Sunderland and Middlesbrough, according to reports.
After miserable starts to the 2019/20 campaign, Boro and the Black Cats are on the up these days with their respective managers, Jonathan Woodgate and Phil Parkinson, starting to silence the doubters at last.
And, with less than 24 hours remaining in the January transfer window, these time-honoured rivals are going head-to-head to secure the services of one of the hottest prospects in the British game.
Connell was a revelation in a struggling Bolton side last season but, after moving north of the border with Celtic, the 18-year-old has found first-team football hard to come by with injuries restricting his progress in the famous green and white kit.
The Northern Echo report that Middlesbrough are interested and Celtic will surely be impressed by how many young talents have gone from strength to strength under Woodgate, including Djed Spence, Dael Fry and Ashley Fletcher. Boro assistant coach Robbie Keane is a big admirer of his fellow Irishman.
Sunderland, meanwhile, have held talks with the Hoops as they look to reunite Connell with the coach who gave him his chance at Bolton at the age of just 17 (Sky Sports, 30 January, 11.55am).
Parkinson described the Republic of Ireland youth star as ‘outstanding’ this time last year, as reported by Bolton’s official website. The presence of ‘Parky’ in the Sunderland dugout could give the Black Cats an advantage in the transfer battle.
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