Chelsea transfer news: Blues are latest club after Barcelona to join race for Falkirk defender Tony Gallacher
Clubs are lining up to try and sign 17-year-old left back as the Blues look to add strength and depth to their blossoming Cobham academy
CHELSEA are the latest club to join the race for Falkirk defender Tony Gallacher.
Clubs are lining up to try and sign the highly-rated left-back, with La Liga giants Barcelona even linked with the youngster.
Gallacher, 17, has been a hit after breaking into the Bairns first team this term.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and gossip ahead of the January window with SunSport’s daily LIVE blog
That attracted a scout from Stamford Bridge to watch him and the Blues will continue to monitor his situation.
Falkirk boss Peter Houston told SunSport last month that he knows Gallacher won't be at the club forever.
But he urged him to follow the example of Swansea pair Jay Fulton and Stephen Kingsley who left the Bairns as seasoned pros rather than raw rookies.
He said: “I’ve had phone calls from all sorts of people around all sorts of different clubs asking about Tony. Word gets about and scouts swarm.
“People have asked me what it would take to get him but I tell them they’ll have to put in a bid and then we’ll see.
“Falkirk will always need to be a selling club but we’re also in a good financial position so it would have to be an offer that is too good to turn down.
“In any case, I really don’t think it’s time for him to do down south.
“Like Jay and Stephen, he should get 40-50 games under his belt at least. Then, when the time comes, he could push on and not be lost to the game.
“I’d hate to see him go to a big club just to make up the numbers because he’s better than that."