Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley is set to join Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion following an agreement between both clubs, according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Scottish Premiership reigning champions will receive an initial £25 million for the Denmark international, and further add-ons could take the fee up to £30m package – a record fee for a player sold by Celtic and in Scotland.
The Hoops rejected several bids from Atalanta for O’Riley, demanding top dollar for their star player, and Brighton have met their asking price, with his exit likely to be officially sealed before the beginning of next week.
🚨🔵 Matt O’Riley to Brighton, here we go! Agreement sealed as reported earlier as #BHAFC complete one more massive signing.
Celtic to receive £25m fixed fee plus add-ons up to £30m package, record fee in Scotland.
O’Riley and Kadioglu, done deals. 🇩🇰🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/fpLZmZiKNl
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 23, 2024
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will now look for a replacement capable of delivering the goods as the Danish did, and the Hoops have less than seven days to get that done.
The 23-year-old ended last season with 19 goals and 18 assists in 49 games to help the Bhoys continue their domestic dominance, and it is safe to say they will hugely miss his quality services in the final third.
The likes of Philadelphia Union star Daniel Gazdag, Southampton’s Shea Charles and Venezia midfielder Tanner Tessmann have all been named as possible candidates to replace the departing Celtic star, while Los Angeles FC attacking midfielder Mateusz Bogusz has recently emerged as an option too.
Japan international striker Kyogo Furuhashi could also follow O’Riley to the Premier League after Manchester City identified him as a potential replacement for Julian Alvarez, and the Parkhead club reportedly would look for a fee of around £20m for his services.
Selling two of their biggest players for almost £50m is very good business for Celtic, and they now need to get the right replacements in as they look to continue their domestic reign and impress in Europe.
