Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley has been linked with a number of clubs of late, including Inter and Leicester City, but has confirmed reports of an offer from Atletico Madrid in the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old continues to be the creative hub for Celtic this season, with 11 goals and 15 assists in 39 appearances so far, and looks likely to be a major target for Europe’s elite this summer. Atletico Madrid could well return for him, but they will need to do so with more money in order to extract him from Glasgow.
“Celtic received an offer from them (Atletico Madrid), and that was cool. I wasn’t really close to leaving because Celtic wanted more money,” O’Riley told Tipsbladet in Denmark.
🚨 Atlético Madrid’s plan this summer:
– sign 1 or 2 defenders
– sign a midfielder
– improve the forward line[🎖️: @MatteMoretto via @rubenuria and @_soy_rojiblanco] pic.twitter.com/jV6DWBDWvC
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 20, 2024
“I’m not upset about it. For me, it was just cool that a club like them would want me. It’s not often you receive an offer from Atletico Madrid, so of course, it’s great. We’ll see what happens.”
Reportedly the two sides were around €8m apart on their valuation of O’Riley. Certainly one of the things that Atletico have lacked this season is goals from midfield, with the burden being placed heavily on Antoine Griezmann and Alvaro Morata. Atletico do want another midfielder in the summer, but whether that’s a more offensive player, or a de facto sitter in front of the defence, is as of yet unclear.
