Celtic have successfully rebuffed Arsenal's 'serious interest' in their teenage midfielder Daniel Kelly, Football Scotland's Mark Hendry writes.

The lowdown

Kelly is a 16-year-old Scottish central midfielder whom Hendry describes as a 'playmaker'.

He's the godson of Scott McDonald, who played for Celtic between 2007 and 2010 and won the SPFL Golden Boot in 2007/08.

McDonald said last year that Kelly was doing 'really well' and teased that 'there's lots to be excited about'.

In addition to Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have been named as suitors.

The latest

'Several big clubs' in England were keen on Kelly, but Arsenal were the first to make an approach, reports Hendry, as the Gunners even sent officials up to Scotland to run the rule over the youngster, hoping to recruit him for their academy.

But Hendry understands that Kelly will stay put and commit his future to Celtic by signing a first professional deal 'in the near future'.

The verdict

This news will be a relief for Celtic supporters, as they've seen plenty of young talents lured away to English Premier League sides in recent years.

Last summer, for instance, Armstrong Oko-Flex left to join West Ham United, while Leeds United snapped up Leo Hjelde.

And their potential is clear - Oko-Flex has made the matchday squad for seven top-flight matches this season, while Hjelde made his PL debut against the Hammers in January before playing 81 minutes against Everton a month later.

In those cases, Celtic may already be wondering what might have been.

In other news, this Celtic star is close to a training return.