Liverpool, Everton and Cardiff City have joined Southampton in the race for Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama.

The Scottish champions have accepted a bid of around £12 million from Southampton for Wanyama, who excelled in last season's run to the Champions League knock-out stage.

The sum represents a huge profit on the £900,000 Celtic paid to acquire Wanyama from Belgium side Germinal Beerschot in July 2011, and is understood to exceed their initial asking price of £10m.

The first Kenyan to play professionally in the UK, Wanyama has a long-standing ambition to become his nation's first Premier League footballer. His preference, however, is to be allowed a choice over his next club.

Prepared to invest aggressively in their first top-tier campaign in over 50 years, Cardiff are willing to pay the 21-year-old a higher salary than Southampton, but believe that Celtic have over-priced his transfer fee. The Kenyan's contract at Parkhead expires in 2015 and he has declined offers to extend it.

Source: Goal.com