Chelsea Football Club is reportedly considering a move for Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley as they prepare for the potential departure of their captain, Conor Gallagher. Despite being a regular player last season, Gallagher has turned down a new contract at Stamford Bridge and is rumored to be heading to Atletico Madrid in a £34 million deal.
Gallagher's possible exit would leave Chelsea light in midfield, prompting them to look towards Scotland Premiership champions Celtic FC for a replacement. O'Riley has emerged as one of the leading players in Glasgow with several clubs showing interest. However, securing his services might not be straightforward due to certain conditions set by both the player and his current club.
A hot prospect on demand
O'Riley had an impressive run last term with Celtic, scoring 19 goals - the highest within the team. His performance attracted attention from various clubs including Atalanta and Southampton; however, both bids were rejected by Celtic. Now Chelsea are ready to enter into negotiations according to reports from The Sun.
The Danish player has expressed that he would only consider moving if guaranteed first-team football. Having previously played for MK Dons before joining Celtic, O'Riley is not interested in leaving if he will only serve as a squad player elsewhere.
No cheap exit
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that despite not being among Europe's elite teams, they won't let their star midfielder go cheaply. He urged interested parties to pay what the player is worth if they wish to secure him away from Parkhead.
Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers, said:
“It's been actually straight forward with Matt because he's such a great professional. The challenge for teams coming to a club like Celtic is they sometimes can place their value on the league and not the player. Obviously there are riches in other leagues much greater than ours that allows players to go and improve their conditions for their life, we all understand that.”
As things stand now, it appears that Blues have their work cut out if they want Matt O'Riley as Conor Gallagher’s replacement. Not only do they need to meet Celtic’s valuation of the player but also assure him of regular first-team football – something which is not always guaranteed at a club of Chelsea’s stature. It will be interesting to see how this transfer saga unfolds in the coming weeks.
