Brighton are in talks with Celtic over a deal for Matt O’Riley, with Chelsea among a number of other clubs interested in the midfielder.
O’Riley has been the subject of bids from Atalanta this summer, and he has further interest from other clubs in the Premier League and abroad.
Sky Sports News also reported over the weekend that he is among a number of options being considered by Chelsea to replace Conor Gallagher, should he complete his proposed move to Atletico Madrid.
O’Riley, who scored 19 goals with 18 assists in 49 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ side last season, set up the second of Celtic’s goals in their 4-0 win against Kilmarnock in their Scottish Premiership opener on Sunday.
The 23-year-old is under contract at Celtic until 2027, with the club knocking back an offer of £20m from Atletico Madrid in January.
Rodgers: Value the player, not the league
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers with Matt O’Riley
Brendan Rodgers has warned clubs O’Riley will not be leaving Celtic on the cheap this summer:
“It’s been actually straightforward with Matt because he’s such a great professional,” he told Sky Sports News.
“The challenge for teams coming to a club like Celtic is they sometimes can place their value on the league and not the player.
“What’s important for me is if a player does leave here, they pay the value for the player and that isn’t something that always happens.
“No player will leave here unless it’s for the right valuation and at this moment in time there’s been no team that’s been anywhere near that.”
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
The 2024 summer transfer window officially closes on August 30 at 11pm UK time in the Premier League and 11.30pm in Scotland.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
