There has been plenty of chat surrounding Matt O’Riley and what his future holds at Celtic.
With the classy midfielder being courted by the likes of Atalanta and Juventus, it seems that keeping Matt O’Riley at Paradise beyond this summer is going to be really difficult for Brendan Rodgers.
There is also the fact that Southampton have designs on the Danish international and we cannot forget that La Liga club, Atletico Madrid could also come back in for O’Riley despite being knocked back in January.
With journalist, Luca Bendoni, telling us that O’Riley has given the green light to an Atalanta move earlier today, it does seem like a matter of time before the 23-year-old seals a Celtic exit.
But that could all come down to the fee that Celtic are demanding for their star player.
Celtic want over £20m for Matt O’Riley
According to the latest report from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Celtic and Atalanta are ‘dancing’ between the fee Scottish club want compared to what the current Europa League holders are offering.
The Scottish champions are reportedly after €24m (£20.01m) with a further €3m (£2.51m) in add-ons. The Serie A side are offering €18m (£15.1m) with a further €3m (£2.51m) in added incentives.
It is not known if a sell-on clause is included in the offer but what is clear is that both clubs are a good distance apart in the early stages of the negotiations.
Celtic are holding out, quite rightly, for the going rate for a player who has proved himself in the Champions League and who has also won seven trophies out of nine over the last two-and-a-half seasons which includes the record-breaking eighth domestic treble.
O’Riley has been an incredible player for Celtic during his time at the club. 27 goals and 34 assists in 121 appearances have made the Dane one of the club’s most lethal attacking weapons.
And if clubs want to buy that kind of firepower then the going rate must be paid and I, for one, hope that Celtic get as much from Atalanta as they possibly can.
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