Celtic receive bid from Brighton for midfielder Matt O'Riley

Celtic have received a formal offer from Brighton and Hove Albion for midfielder Matt O’Riley.

The English Premier League side have been linked with O’Riley throughout the summer but have now lodged a bid with Celtic, with the Scottish champions yet to make a decision on the player’s future.

O’Riley’s form at the club since arriving from MK Dons in 2022 has seen his reputation grow and his value rise, with Atletico Madrid failing in an attempt to sign him in January, and Atalanta making repeated offers for the 23-year-old this summer.

The Serie A club looked to have dropped their interest after completing the signing of Lazar Samardic but Brighton have now taken their own first steps towards recruiting the player.

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has been clear that the club want to keep O’Riley and have no need to sell but it’s understood that if his valuation is met then O’Riley may leave before the transfer window closes.

Rodgers recently praised the Denmark international for his conduct amidst all the speculation, saying he was “committed and professional”.

O’Riley has played in all three of Celtic’s games so far this season and has made 124 appearances for the club in total, scoring 27 goals and contributing 35 assists.

“I think we all understand, the people close to Celtic understand the model Celtic works to,” Rodgers said last month, when asked about the player’s future in Glasgow.

“Matt’s been at the club for three years. He’s developed into the player he has and he knows the privilege it is to play for Celtic.

“Of course, naturally, how it works is the player gets that opportunity to move on.

“Celtic is a club where you can move on but you don’t have to and it’s a very difficult club to move on from.

“Naturally with the wages that are on offer for players, then that makes it a real challenge for Celtic to compete at that level.

“But what I’ve seen with Matt is he’s a first-class professional. He’s a really humble guy who’s very devoted to his profession and he knows what he has here so we’re all quite relaxed with it.

“Every player has a value but we see him as a really important player for us and whilst he is here, we’ll continue to develop him and help him improve.”