Breaking News:Celtic ‘reject new bid for Matt O’Riley but clubs locked in talks over sale’

July 23, 2024 cbsnewz FOOTBALL 0

And that transfer interest refuses to die down.

Sunsport told how Serie A side Atalanta had tabled a bid for the Hoops midfielder on Sunday night.

But – as we reported was likely to happen – the Hoops have thrown the Bergamo-based club’s bid out for a second time.

Although this time, the clubs remain locked in talks over the name on everyone’s lips.

The latest sum is said to have totalled £14.7m – and that is far from the Parkhead price-tag for the player they picked up for a bargain £1.5m from MK Dons 18 months ago.

It took the Hoops hierarchy less than 24 hours to KO the latest bid – but it doesn’t look like it will be the last.

While Atalanta keep communication channels open, hopeful to thrash out a deal, other big-name European names are monitoring the Danish international.

Leeds threw a cheeky bid in 12 months ago but back in January O’Riley was in the transfer spotlight with Girona and Inter Milan keen – but only Atletico Madrid came forward.

Diego Simeone’s side pitched in with a loan to buy offer which was, like the rest of them, thrown out by Celtic chiefs intent on hanging on to the 23-year-old.

Their resolve paid off and O’Riley swept the boards at the club awards night while Celtic landed the league and cup double under Brendan Rodgers.

Now, though more interest is expected with even Liverpool, Juventus and now Roma credited with interest along with Southampton, Leicester and Brighton.

But it’s Atalanta who are already at the table, though the two clubs are believed to be quite far apart in valuation and the Hoops expected to hold out for a club record fee beyond that of Kieran Tierney’s £24m move to Arsenal.

O’Riley came to Atletico’s attention when starring against them in the Champions League last season on the way to a season with 19 goalsm and 18 assists across 49 games last term.

He added two goals in the Hoops’ win over DC United in the first game of their US tour on Sunday and is expected to feature again when Man City are the opponents in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

That match kicks off at 12.30am on Wednesday morning, UK time.

Match organisers are praying for rain to help the surface which was ripped up and replaced with natural grass ahead of the fixture, with the local college American football side using a plastic pitch for their gridiron games.