Celtic 'relaxed' over transfer interest in Matt O’Riley, says Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers conceded that interest in Matt O’Riley was perfectly natural but he was adamant Celtic were “relaxed” about the situation surrounding their in-demand midfielder.

The Hoops have reportedly turned down two bids from Atalanta for the 23-year-old Denmark international, who moved to Parkhead from MK Dons two-and-a-half years ago.

O’Riley is currently at Celtic’s training camp in the USA – where he scored a double in Sunday’s victory over DC United – and Rodgers was asked about his future at a press conference ahead of Tuesday night’s friendly against Manchester City in North Carolina.

“There’s no update, we’re fairly relaxed,” said the manager. “You saw him in the game the other night. He’s working well and is very focused.

“Naturally, when you’re a really good young player who’s committed and professional as he is, he will acquire attention. He’s working so well, there’s nothing to report on him.”

O’Riley has scored 27 goals in 121 appearances while winning three consecutive Premiership titles during his time in Glasgow.

Rodgers did not close the door on the possibility of the midfielder departing this summer, but he stressed that he would be mindful of the “privilege” he currently had in playing for Celtic.

“I think we all understand, the people close to Celtic understand the model Celtic works to,” said the manager when pressed further on O’Riley.

“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.”