Brighton are prepared to shatter the Scottish transfer record to land Celtic star Matt O’Riley — and are confident of securing a deal to land the coveted midfielder.
O’Riley has been the subject of multiple bids over the summer, the most recent of which came from Europa League winners Atalanta just last week.
But a succession of lowball offers from the Serie A side, the last of which was £21.5million plus a further £2m in add-ons, fell short of Celtic’s £25m valuation of the 23-year-old Danish international.
It was announced over the weekend that Atalanta have instead signed Serbian midfielder Lazar Samardzic from Udinese after dropping their interest in O’Riley.
Brighton have now tendered a formal bid to Celtic — and Mail Sport understands the Premier League side are prepared to top the £25m Arsenal paid for Kieran Tierney.
Sources have indicated that O’Riley’s £25m price tag won’t be an issue and are confident that both clubs can now thrash out a deal.
Sources have indicated that O’Riley’s £25m price tag won’t be an issue and are confident that both clubs can now thrash out a deal.
O’Riley remains under contract until 2027 and has shown no signs of agitating for a move, with boss Brendan Rodgers speaking highly of his attitude and professionalism.
The in-demand midfielder was the subject of a failed bid from Atletico Madrid back in January and has also drawn strong interest from Southampton.
O’Riley was part of the Celtic team which beat Hibs 3-1 to reach the Premier Sports Cup quarter-finals on Sunday — and Rodgers was asked about his situation as well as recruitment as a whole.
‘His mentality is phenomenal,’ said Rodgers. ‘He’s a player that’s continued to grow and you see the confidence that he’s playing the game with.
‘I still think we need another player in that position. If he was to go, we’d need two more.
‘I will need to speak to the board. There’s a lot of work going on and there’s lots that we need to do. We know where we want to strengthen and I’m pretty hopeful that we can do that.’
Should Brighton go on and clinch a deal for O’Riley, that could pave the way for Billy Gilmour to depart the Seagulls and join Napoli.
The Scotland midfielder has been identified as a key target for new Napoli boss Antonio Conte, with the Italians making an official approach last week.
Brighton had been undecided on Gilmour’s future as they adjusted to life under new head coach Fabian Hurzeler.
The Scot came off the bench as a substitute on Saturday as Brighton kicked off their Premier League campaign with a terrific 3-0 win away at Everton.
Meanwhile, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers insists the Parkhead club are in a much stronger position than they were 12 months ago — and believes the best is yet to come.
Celtic have started well in the new campaign, beating Hibs 3-1 on Sunday afternoon to move into the quarter-finals of the Premier Sports Cup.
Rodgers’ side also sit top of the Premiership after winning their opening two games, backing up their impressive wins over Chelsea and Man City in pre-season.
Carter-Vickers said: ‘Our performance so far have been good, as well as the ones in pre-season. ‘It’s early, so it’s just about continuing to try to work and try to improve.
‘Since it’s the manager’s second year now, I think it’s only natural that the more time he gets with the group, the more he can implement the way he wants to play and the way he wants to train and work.
‘I think we’re definitely capable of more. We’ve started well, it’s kind of been a continuation from pre-season, but hopefully as the season goes on and we continue to work together, we’ll improve and get better.
‘It’s all good doing it in the first three, four, five games, but the key is consistency. If we can maintain that level and improve a little bit throughout the season, then that would be great.’
