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Stevenage have completed the permanent signing of Burnley striker Michael Mellon, beating competition from elsewhere to land the 22-year-old on a three-year deal. Mellon has brought a seven-year association with Burnley to an end by joining Alex Revell’s League One side for an undisclosed fee. The forward had reportedly attracted interest from Oldham Athletic, Notts County and Plymouth Argyle, but Stevenage have won the race for a player who has already built up considerable senior experience despite never making a first-team appearance for the Clarets. The striker initially came through the academy system at Manchester United before joining Burnley at Under-16 level in 2019. He signed his first professional contract at Turf Moor in 2022, but his route into senior football came through a series of loan moves rather than with his parent club. That began with Morecambe in January 2023, where he made his professional debut in a League One defeat at Ipswich Town. His first spell with the Shrimps was ended by a shoulder injury, but Mellon returned to Morecambe for the 2023/24 campaign and produced the most prolific spell of his career to that point. He scored 15 goals in 27 appearances across all competitions, including a hat-trick against AFC Wimbledon, before Burnley recalled him midway through the season. A loan move to Dundee followed, with Mellon making an immediate impact by scoring and providing two assists on his debut against Livingston. His spell in Scotland was disrupted by a serious head injury sustained against St Johnstone, although he returned later that month and finished his time at Dens Park with three goals from 14 Scottish Premiership appearances. The following season proved more fragmented. Mellon joined Stockport County in League One but made only a handful of appearances before being recalled in January 2025 and sent to Bradford City. He eventually featured 15 times in League Two for the Bantams, scoring twice, including a late winner away at Salford City. His most recent loan proved far more productive. Mellon joined Oldham Athletic in September 2025 to play under his father, Micky Mellon, and scored ten goals in 18 appearances across all competitions before another serious injury curtailed his season. That return included seven goals from 16 League Two appearances and again demonstrated his ability to score regularly when given a consistent run of senior football. Mellon has also represented Scotland at Under-17 and Under-21 level, earning four caps for the latter, and now gets the opportunity to establish himself permanently rather than heading out for another temporary spell. His move to Stevenage was completed on 18 August, with the forward leaving Burnley without a competitive senior appearance. For Stevenage, there is plenty to like about the deal. Revell’s side finished sixth in League One last season and reached the play-off semi-finals, so Mellon is joining a club that has already demonstrated it can compete towards the upper end of the division. His career has been frustratingly stop-start because of injuries, but there is also a clear pattern in his record: when Mellon has been fit and playing regularly, he has scored goals. A three-year contract should finally give him the stability that has been missing during several seasons spent moving between loan clubs. There is an element of risk because of his injury record and because he is yet to prove himself as a consistent League One scorer, but at 22 there is still significant room for development. If Stevenage can keep him available and reproduce the form he showed at Morecambe and Oldham, beating several rivals to his signature could turn out to be particularly shrewd business.