Exclusive: Celtic braced for big Brentford bid in January to deprive Rodgers of regular midfield starter
Brentford are considering testing Celtic’s resolve over midfield star Matt O’Riley in January, TEAMtalk has been informed.
The Bees have been keeping close tabs on the former MK Dons man – who has been brilliant in Scotland since arriving in 2022 for just £1.5million.
The 22-year-old only signed a new long-term deal in September, which has tied him down until 2027, but Celtic are aware that there is genuine interest from England and they are not in a position to turn down a big bid.
O’Riley, who is a Danish Under-21 international with six caps to his name, has emerged on Brentford’s radar as they looking at more attacking quality to their squad.
There is already a strong Danish contingent at Brentford, whose manager Thomas Frank is from the Scandinavian country – as is captain Christian Norgaard and teammates Mathias Jensen, Mathias Jorgensen, Mikkel Damsgaard and Mads Roerslev.
O’Riley was born on the outskirts of London, but is eligible for Denmark because of his mother.
At club level, he began his senior career with Fulham before developing with MK Dons and eventually joining Celtic in January 2022.
During his time north of the border, O’Riley has scored a total of 14 goals from 84 appearances. He has started all nine Scottish Premiership matches for Brendan Rodgers’ side this season so far, as well as their first two Champions League matches and opening League Cup tie.
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