According to a source, Southampton is prepared to surpass the Scottish transfer fee record in order to sign Matt O’Riley, a top player for Celtic.
This summer, the recently promoted Premier League team plans to make a move for the Denmark international.
In preparation for returning to England’s top division in what will surely be a difficult season with the goal of survival, Russell Martin is working to bolster his team.
Since joining Celtic in January 2022 for £1.5 million after leaving MK Dons in January 2022, O’Riley, 23, has drawn interest from teams both domestic and international.
Atletico Madrid and Roma are among the other clubs to be linked with an approach for the playmaker.
The Scottish Premiership champions have previously rejected bids from Atletico for their star man in January, with Brendan Rodgers unwilling to part with one of his best players at that time.
With two months of the summer window remaining though, speculation surrounding O’Riley is only likely to increase off the back of a stunning campaign with the Hoops. He scored 19 goals and made 18 assists in all competitions last term.
Martin worked with O’Riley at MK Dons, so knows the player well.
And The Times reports that Saints are ready to make their move for him.
The report states that Celtic value O’Riley at £30m. Should they receive this amount, it would break the record Scottish transfer fee set when Jota left for Saudi Arabia last summer for £25m.
It is said that the fee is ‘unlikely to deter’ the St Mary’s side.
Following his disappointing group-stage loss to Panama in the Copa America, Celtic defender Cameron Carter-Vickers received harsh criticism for his cameo performance. Timo Weah, a former Celtic loan player, was sent off after just eighteen minutes as the USMNT faltered in their second game of the competition after winning their opening match against Bolivia.
