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Luca Connell joins Celtic from Bolton

BURTON-UPON-TRENT, ENGLAND - MAY 08: Luca John Connell of Republic of Ireland looks on before the UEFA European Under-17 Championship match between Republic of Ireland and Denmark at St Georges Park on May 8, 2018 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)
Image: Luca Connell has sealed his move to Celtic

Celtic have completed the signing of Bolton midfielder Luca Connell, who joins the club on a four-year contract.

The 18-year-old midfielder makes the move to the Scottish champions after coming through the youth system at Bolton and breaking into the first team in the second half of last season.

Connell had a request to terminate his Bolton contract turned down by the club's administrators, Sky Sports News understands.

But they have confirmed they were forced to relent after taking legal advice and also praised Celtic for how they handled the deal.

A spokesman for the administrator said: "We took legal advice once Luca submitted his notice of termination. However, the discrepancy in the regulations between England and Scotland meant we had no option but to accept the situation.

"To their credit, Celtic recognised that and have agreed to pay substantially more than the financial obligations in Luca's contract."

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Celtic captain Scott Brown admits that transfer speculation regarding left-back Kieran Tierney, as well as interest in James Forrest and Callum McGregor, is predictable given the form the trio have shown for the club

Liverpool-born Connell qualifies to play for Ireland through his grandparents and he has now finalised his move to the Hoops before flying out to join the rest of the team at their pre-season training camp in Austria.

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"It is unbelievable to sign for such a massive club, known all around the world," Connell told Celtic's official website.

"It's crazy. It hasn't sunk in yet that I'm signing for such a big club and with this much history, hopefully I can crack on and help us make more.

"I'm looking forward to all the league games and especially the Champions League."

Connell joins Toulouse defender Christopher Jullien in making the move to Celtic, after he became manager Neil Lennon's first summer signing after he joined on a four-year contract on Friday.

But Celtic failed in their bid to land Motherwell's David Turnbull and are battling to hold onto Scotland international Kieran Tierney, with Arsenal having had a £15m bid for him rejected.

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