According to reports, Celtic are willing to discuss the potential sale of Matt O’Riley to Atletico Madrid this summer.
However, the Spanish giants have been cautioned that they will need to increase their offer from January if they want to secure the 23-year-old midfielder. Atletico had approached Celtic about O’Riley earlier in the year, but the Scottish champions rejected their advances in order to focus on their end of season matches. Nevertheless, it seems that Atletico still hold a strong interest in the talented Celtic player.
Mundo Deportivo has stated that O’Riley and Feyenoord’s Matts Wieffer are once again targets for Atletico this summer, following their previous interest in January. The initial offer made to Celtic was €20 million, which was deemed insufficient by the club who value O’Riley as a key member of their team.
Reportedly, Celtic have informed Atletico that any potential deal will only be accepted if they raise their bid for O’Riley this summer. The midfielder first caught the eye of Atletico manager Diego Simeone during their Champions League encounter with Celtic last season, and he has continued to impress since.
Atletico are also said to be negotiating with Feyenoord for Wieffer, indicating that they may only sign one of the two players. O’Riley had an impressive season, scoring 19 goals and providing 18 assists across all competitions, leading to a significant increase in his market value. Transfermarkt now values O’Riley as the most valuable player to have played in the Premiership, despite his absence from the European championships. Celtic, however, appear determined to receive an even higher fee for their star player.
