Atalanta opt to ‘move away’ from pursuing Celtic’s Matt O’Riley

Atalanta have opted to move away from pursuing Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley and are now set to finalise a deal for Udinese’s Lazar Samardzic.

Initially, O’Riley was the preferred candidate to fill the void left by Teun Koopmeiners, who is heading to Juventus.

However, Celtic’s refusal to accept multiple offers reaching €27 million led Atalanta to reconsider their options.

The Italian club has shifted its focus to Samardzic, who is already accustomed to Serie A and comes at a more affordable price.

The 22-year-old boasts 11 caps for the Serbian national team.

Reports across the continent indicate that Samardzic will not be included in Udinese’s squad for their league opener against Bologna on Sunday, hinting that a transfer could be completed soon.

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O’Riley is also said to be interesting Brighton, but Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that the reigning Scottish Premiership champions don’t need to sell their prized asset.

The Danish internationalist scored 19 goals and provided a further 18 assists from his 49 appearances last season.

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