BHOYS SAY NO TO McCARTHY.

Byline: PAUL O'HEHIR

CELTIC claim they won't hijack Wolves and Wigan bids for Irish teen sensation James McCarthy.

The Irish Under-21 midfielder - tipped to be a huge star of the future - is close to quitting SPL side Hamilton for Molineaux.

Celtic had a bid rejected earlier in the summer and are unlikely to give up on the 18-year-old without a fight.

But when asked if McCarthy was on his radar, Celtic boss Tony Mowbray said: "No, I would suggest not with the numbers that have been bandied around."

McCarthy - who has been monitored by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool amongst others - was having a medical at Wolves last night.

The Premier League newcomers have offered pounds 2million and manager Mick McCarthy is confident a deal will be struck soon.

But Wolves are aware of the strong interest from other clubs and insist the deal is not over the line just yet.

"We can confirm that we are talking to James and we are trying to handle the issue as sensitively as possible," said chief executive Jez Moxey.

"We are mindful that James is a young man a long way from home who is suddenly finding himself at the centre of an awful lot of attention.

"He is here with his advisor and his mother and we are showing him around.

"He is a player Mick believes has a terrific future in the game."