Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley has been linked with potential moves to Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund.
The Sun are reporting that Europe’s elite are circling for O’Riley, who has been Celtic’s standout player this season, netting six goals and providing five assists in 12 Scottish Premiership games.
O’Riley is also linked Manchester United, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, and Leicester City.
The fee that European sides are willing to pay is said to be around £10 million, but whether this meets Celtic’s valuation is yet to be seen, especially considering Jota’s departure last summer for £25 million.
O’Riley only recently signed a contract extension in September, extending his deal at Celtic until 2027 and leaving the Bhoys with no obligation to sell him anytime soon.
Newcastle and Leicester are also both believed to have scouted the Danish midfielder whilst playing for his national side’s under-21s in September.
The Celtic midfielder was recently called up to the Denmark senior team by Kasper Hjulmand on Friday, despite initially being snubbed by Hjulmand, and will hope to make his senior debut in upcoming fixtures against Slovenia and Northern Ireland over the next week.
O’Riley was due to make his Denmark senior debut last month after a late call-up against San Marino, but the match finished 2-1 to Denmark, with Hjulmand not willing to risk bringing O’Riley on to make his first appearance in such a closely contested match.
O’Riley joined Celtic in January 2022 for £1.5 million from MK Dons and has since become a first-team regular at Celtic Park. The arrival of Brendan Rodgers in the summer as manager has propelled O’Riley to new heights, adding goals to his game, the one facet of his game he previously struggled with.
The Denmark international’s attitude this season has been immense, and he showcased this ruthless nature against Aberdeen on Sunday with his on-pitch message to James Forrest, ultimately contributing to the destruction of Aberdeen.
Whether O’Riley departs in January is up for debate, but one thing is clear: Celtic is in a strong bargaining position when it comes to negotiating a potential departure. With O’Riley expressing his happiness at the Hoops by extending his contract, it will take a very special offer to tempt the Celtic hierarchy into selling one of their prized assets anytime soon, especially considering that £10 million is unlikely to be the transfer fee that Celtic currently values O’Riley at.