Celtic are reportedly set to demand a Scottish record transfer fee for midfielder Matt O’Riley this summer. The playmaker has been heavily linked with a move away from Celtic Park this summer, with several Premier League outfits monitoring his situation closely.
O’Riley has impressed so far this season, scoring 13 goals and assisting 11 in 31 Scottish Premier League matches, and his performances have not gone unnoticed around Europe. The 23-year-old was the subject of a bid from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window, which was promptly knocked back by Brendan Rodgers’ side.
Atletico were keen to sign O’Riley on a loan deal with an obligation to buy worth £18million but Celtic refused to part ways with any of their key players midway through the season. However, The Hoops are expecting fresh offers for their No. 33 this summer.
According to The Mirror, Atletico Madrid are expected to ‘revive’ their interest in O’Riley when the campaign concludes, with Inter Milan and Girona also monitoring the situation of the ex-MK Dons star closely.
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Several Premier League sides are also said to be keen on O’Riley, with Manchester United ‘monitoring’ the midfielder since 2022. Celtic are not willing to allow their playmaker to leave cheaply though.
The Scottish giants will demand a fee upwards of £25m to part ways with O’Riley, which would therefore make him the record transfer sale in the SPFL. Celtic sold both Kieran Tierney, to Arsenal, and Jota, to Al-Ittihad, for £25m previously, but they would like to trump that figure this summer.
O’Riley will be keen to keep his head down and ensure that he can bow out with Celtic on a high, admitting previously that transfer talk affected him in the weeks after the January transfer window closed. The ex-Fulham star explained: “If I’m being completely honest, the first two or three games after the transfer window mentally it was a slight challenge because I felt somewhat a bit of added pressure on my shoulders, just slightly. But then I realised I didn’t really know why I was putting extra pressure on myself.
“I didn’t really need to change anything. I kind of came away from that and focused on what I bring to the team. It clicked back into place again. Each season, regardless of it going well, it will still pose a different challenge. Of course, bids are great but it could still potentially be a negative thing if you don’t see it from the right way as well so another thing to learn going forwards.”
