‘Tottenham move blocked by Brexit after seven-figure transfer bid tabled’
Tottenham will be delayed in their attempts to sign 17-year-old Mason Melia from St Patrick’s Athletic due to Brexit regulations, The Sun have reported.
The striker is already a regular at first-team level for his current side in Ireland, scoring ten goals and providing three assists in 54 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt).
His form has attracted some high-profile attention from elsewhere, with this latest update claiming Spurs had a £1million bid for the teenager rejected last month.
Melia though is said to favour a move to Tottenham and personal terms over a deal are not expected to be an issue.
But due to Brexit regulations, the striker will not be able to move to north London until January 2026, the first transfer window after he turns 18 in September this year.
Scottish champions Celtic are apparently also keen to sign the teenager, but face the same issues as Ange Postecoglou’s current club.
Melia though could move to a club in Europe during this month’s transfer window as he has a European passport, and is said to be attracting attention from Genk in Belgium and German side Frankfurt.
Tottenham may be willing to wait to complete Mason Melia deal
Football Insider Opinion
This would not be the first time that Spurs have delayed a signing for a young prospect as they might have to do here.
Recent times have seen Tottenham do similar to sign the likes of Lucas Bergvall and Yang Min-hyeok, who made the move from South Korea last month after a deal had been agreed in the summer.
As a result those at the club are unlikely to have too many qualms about waiting again in order to get a deal for Melia over the line.
Even if he does sign next January, it would still be very early in his career for the striker to be expected to make the step-up in the first-team for Spurs.
Many Tottenham supporters have already made it clear they want to see more ambition from the club in the current transfer window amid their remarkably inconsistent second season under Ange Postecoglou.
With that in mind it seems essential those in charge of the club will have to be more active than this in January 2025 to both keep fans happy, and give them a chance of success in the current campaign.
In other news, Dominic Solanke appears to have hinted at a surprise link-up with a Chelsea player.
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