Chelsea and Arsenal are among a number of big clubs keeping tabs on young Middlesbrough striker Calum Kavanagh, although the Sky Bet Championship side are still hoping to tie the 16-year-old down to a long-term deal this summer.
Kavanagh, the son of former Ireland international Graham, has caught the attention of the Blues’ and Gunners’ scouts following some impressive displays at Under-18 level, scoring five goals in his past five appearances for Boro.
He is also part of the Ireland Under-17 team and has captained the national side at other age groups.
The teenager is happy at Middlesbrough for now, where he is considered the prize asset in the academy, but there is some reluctance to commit his long-term future to the Teesiders and he would rather take a wait and see approach.
Although Kavanagh is currently nowhere near the first team plans at Middlesbrough, Jonathan Woodgate’s team are battling to survive in the Championship and relegation to League One, should the season continue, would make it more difficult for them to keep their best young players.
Kavanagh senior made his senior breakthrough at Boro in the early 1990s having moved from Dublin. He went on to have a long career at Stoke and Cardiff and the family still live in the north east.
The youth revolution at Chelsea, with Frank Lampard so willing to give academy players first-team opportunities, may convince the young goalscorer that West London is his best option but Arsenal are monitoring the situation very closely.
