This season, Celtic’s Matt O’Riley has many admirers across Europe, but how realistic are Leeds United and Leicester City’s chances?
Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid will compete with Leeds and Leicester for the signing of Celtic’s Matt O’Riley.
O’Riley has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in 24 appearances for Celtic this season.
O’Riley is unlikely to join a Championship club, with Aston Villa, Newcastle United, and West Ham all interested in his services.
In the race to sign Celtic’s Matt O’Riley, Leicester City and Leeds United are up against a slew of Europe’s top clubs, including Newcastle United and Inter Milan.
Sky Sports News reported a few days before the summer transfer window closed that both Leeds and Southampton were interested in signing the English-born Danish international.
Leeds wanted to improve their midfield before the end of the season, and Southampton had identified it as a problem area as well. However, Southampton never made an offer for the player, but with just hours before the deadline, Leeds made a £10 million bid for the 23-year-old, which Celtic turned down.
They are two clubs with vast resources in comparison to many second-tier sides, and the other relegated Premier League side from last season, Leicester City, has also been linked, with the Foxes first being thought to be interested in June.
Since then, TEAMtalk reported last week that Leicester are fans of O’Riley following his impressive performances with the Scottish champions. According to the update, the Foxes are keeping an eye on the players’ situation ahead of the January transfer window opening.
Celtic are in a strong position to demand significantly more than Leeds’ summer bid for O’Riley, who signed a new four-year contract in September after speculation in the window.
Unsurprisingly, given the interest in his signing, he has been in excellent form for Celtic this season, with nine goals and eight assists in 24 appearances in all competitions this season.
O’Riley has also impressed on the international stage, recording three assists in six Champions League games in a group that included Atletico Madrid and Lazio.
He joined Celtic from MK Dons in January 2022, having only been with the League One club for a year after leaving Fulham. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the Scottish giants after his release clause was met.
O’Riley has developed well as a box-to-box midfielder over the last two years, and the club could make a significant profit if he is sold in the January or summer transfer windows.
He was also given a cap for his country after playing 61 minutes in a 2-0 loss to Northern Ireland in a Euros qualifier. Over the next few years, O’Riley is likely to significantly increase that total.
Matt O’Riley’s chances at Leeds and Leicester are jeopardized.
If he does leave in January, it will almost certainly not be to a Championship club, despite the fact that Leeds and Leicester are in a strong position to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Some of the clubs interested in O’Riley highlight his talent and the level at which he deserves to play if he leaves Celtic in the near future.
According to Sky Sports News, Inter Milan has joined the race for his signature. According to the report, Aston Villa has been monitoring the midfielder, while Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven have also been keeping tabs on him.
Newcastle United are also rumored to be interested in him, and a move to St James’ Park could be appealing for O’Riley given the Magpies’ promising start and position in the league above Leicester. West Ham are also interested in the 23-year-old midfielder and can offer him European football.
Leeds and Leicester may have tried to sign the Celtic midfielder in the summer and may be interested again when the transfer window opens in just over a week, but their chances are slim-to-none.
Furthermore, Fabrizio Romano recently stated that the player would accept a Scottish-record fee if sold by Celtic in the near future: A record fee for O’Riley would imply that Celtic will command more than £25.8 million, the fee set when they sold Jota to Al Ittihad in the previous summer.
O’Riley is a player Leeds and Leicester should forget about, even if they win promotion, because so many other clubs can offer him European football and more, as well as the financial implications of such a deal for Celtic’s star player.
