Manchester United and Arsenal are among clubs interested in signing Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley ahead of the summer transfer deadline, ESPN report.
The 21-year-old made a switch from MK Dons to Celtic in January this year, and he has since registered four goals and three assists from 24 appearances in the SPL.
His progress north of the border has caught the eye of numerous clubs including Man United, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund, and ESPN suggest that Celtic could receive a late offer.
The Glasgow giants bought O’Riley for just £1.5 million earlier in January, and the report says Celtic could be tempted to cash-in if an offer worth up to £20m was put on the table during the closing days of the window.
Our view:
The Denmark youth international is a central midfielder, but he is more attack-minded. O’Riley has impressed with his chance creation, tackling as well as crossing ability.
Celtic consider him as a huge prospect with immense potential, but could be tempted to cash in if any club meets the reported price tag before next week’s transfer deadline.
O’Riley would fall into Arsenal’s policy of pursuing young players with a high ceiling, but we don’t see them buying the Dane, who has similarities with Martin Odegaard and new signing Fabio Vieira.
Both Odegaard and Vieira are left-footed central attacking midfielders. Vieira has yet to make his debut for the Gunners, and the club may not pursue another player with similar attributes to the duo.
Instead, Arsenal need a midfielder who is more defensive-minded. Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans is an obvious target, and it remains to be seen whether they can sign him this month.
Manchester United, on the other hand, could do with a young player with a bit of flair. However, they are currently focused on bolstering their wide attacking department with Antony and Cody Gakpo being their top targets.
United’s focus appears on signing more established stars over a long-term prospect. In our opinion, Borussia Dortmund stand a better chance of landing O’Riley with their recent history of developing emerging stars.
