Celtic have made contact with Crystal Palace about signing James McCarthy, according to reports in the UK.

The Republic of Ireland international is a boyhood supporter of the Hoops and is said to be very keen on a switch to Parkhead.

However, Celtic will face competition for McCarthy with the likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Leeds all said to be interested in the 29-year-old.

Palace are reportedly keen on recouping the £8m they paid Everton for the player last summer so it would be a costly outlay for Neil Lennon’s side.

McCarthy is said to have been recommended to the club by former Hoops star Shaun Maloney who played alongside him at Wigan.

Last season, the Palace midfielder made 35 appearances in all competitions, but he failed to score or provide an assist for a single goal. Celtic fans will be hoping he can improve on those numbers if he moves north of the border.