Rejected: Celtic Kick Out Yet Another Matt O’Riley Bid

Rejected: Celtic Kick Out Yet Another Matt O’Riley Bid

Celtic have today rejected a fifth offer from Atalanta for their star midfielder Matt O’Riley. The Serie A side, determined to bring the Danish talent to Italy, upped their bid to £21.5 million, plus significant add-ons. [Anthony Joseph]

However, this latest attempt has been swiftly turned down by the Parkhead hierarchy, who are standing firm in their valuation of the player.

Atalanta’s pursuit of O’Riley has been constant throughout the summer, with the Italian outfit gradually increasing their offers in a bid to prise the 23-year-old away from Celtic. But the Hoops, under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers, have made it clear that they will not be letting their prized asset go for anything under what they value him.

11th August 2024; Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Hibernian versus Celtic; Matt ORiley of Celtic

O’Riley, who signed a long-term deal with Celtic just last year, is contracted to the club until 2027. This gives the Scottish champions a strong position in negotiations, and they have set their sights on a fee that would surpass the club’s record transfer sales. Celtic’s current record stands at £25 million, which they received for both Kieran Tierney’s move to Arsenal and Jota’s recent transfer to Al-Ittihad. With such a benchmark in place, it’s no surprise that the Glasgow giants are holding out for a similar sum to consider parting ways with O’Riley.

The Danish midfielder has been a standout performer for Celtic since his arrival, quickly establishing himself as a fan favourite at Parkhead. He’s integral to Rodgers’ plans as Celtic aim to continue their domestic dominance and make their mark in the Champions League.

Atalanta seem desperate to get a deal done for O’Riley, but they have to be coming to the realisation that they must hit a certain number for that dream to become a reality.

Celtic don’t need the money from his sale and Matt is very cool behind the scenes, not agitating for a move as we understand. Given Atalanta’s strong interest and their ability to perhaps meet our valuation before the deadline as well as Matt’s preference to play with a Champions league side this season. Things will continue to be up in the air.

Celtic Linked Striker to Make £4.5m EFL Move

Scotland internationalist Tommy Conway is set to join Middlesbrough from Bristol City in a deal worth £4.5 million.

Conway, who was part of Scotland’s squad at Euro 2024, is expected to undergo a medical at Riverside Stadium on Thursday before finalising his move. [Bristol Live]

Despite not featuring in the tournament, Conway’s performance in the 2023/24 season, where he scored 12 goals in 43 appearances, has impressed Middlesbrough enough to secure his services.

Earlier in the summer, Celtic was linked with Conway as Brendan Rodgers expressed a desire to bolster his attacking options with three strikers.

Bristol City were keen to move the player on this transfer window. He was refusing to sign a new deal and could leave for a small compensation price next summer, able to agree to a pre-contract agreement from January.

Celtic has confirmed the signing of Adam Idah for a club record fee, but it still leaves Celtic one short on the striking department.

Luke McCowan wanted by Celtic as Dundee braced for bid for Hibs transfer target

11th August 2024; Easter Road, Edinburgh, Scotland: Scottish Premiership Football, Hibernian versus Celtic; Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers arrives for the match

Celts are ready to slap in a bid for the Dens Park captain

Dundee midfielder Luke McCowan is on Celtic’s radar (Image: SNS Group)

Dundee are reportedly braced for a bid from Celtic for captain Luke McCowan.

The Dees have already rejected offers from Hibs and Wigan for their star midfielder, who notched ten goals last season to help Tony Docherty’s side finish in the top-six. And the former Ayr United star has continued his stunning form this season by scoring in Dundee’s first two Premiership games.

McCowan, 26, has entered the final year of his contract at Dens Park and boss Docherty is refusing to give up hope of his goalscoring playmaker penning extended terms. But the Scottish Sun reports that Celtic are ready to come to the table with an offer this month.

Hibs have already had a £750,000 bid turned down for McCowan, who is one of Easter Road boss David Gray’s top summer targets. It’s believed Dundee value their key man at £1m. Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers is determined to bolster his squad before the window closes on August 30 and remains in the market for a left-back, centre-back and third striker.

The Scottish champions last night smashed their transfer record by completing the £9.5m signing of Adam Idah on a five-year deal from Norwich City. And they could make a second record-shattering signing during this window if Matt O’Riley moves on, with Augsburg’s £10m Belgian sensation Arne Engels, 20, in their sights.

Kwon Hyeok-kyu joins Hibernian on loan

Kwon Hyeok-kyu poses in a photo shared on Hibernian FC’s official Instagram account on Tuesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kwon Hyeok-kyu has joined Scottish Premiership team Hibernian FC on a one-year loan from Celtic, Hibernian announced Tuesday.

The move marks the 23-year-old midfielder’s second loan out of reigning Premiership champions Celtic, having spent the second half of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at fellow Premiership side St Mirren.

“Kwon provides us with another option in midfield being able to play as both a deeper 6 and as an 8,” Hibernian manager David Gray said in a statement shared on the team’s website on Tuesday. “As a player, he’s a great athlete, he’s very competitive and comfortable on the ball. He showed these capabilities during an impressive loan spell last season.

“We’re delighted to bring him to the club and look forward to working with him.”

Kwon made his pro debut at K League team Busan IPark in 2019 and played as a regular pick until he joined military club Gimcheon Sangmu to complete his mandatory military service.

He played 36 fixtures with the military club in the 2021 and 2022 seasons before returning to Busan, where he played until joining Celtic in the summer of 2023 on a five-year deal.

He had a tough spell at Celtic, failing to debut and making it as far as the bench, prompting him to join St Mirren on loan.

Although he saw some playing time with St Mirren, he failed to rack up a single goal or assist during nine games.

Kwon’s move leaves only one Korean player at Celtic: Yang Hyun-jun. The squad had three Korean players last season — Kwon, Yang and Oh Hyeon-gyu — but Oh also transferred to Belgian team Genk last month after seeing decreased time on the pitch in the second half of the 2023-24 season.

The 2024-25 Premiership kicked off on July 13. Hibernian will be back in action in a Scottish League Cup match against Celtic in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday.

O’Riley set up Celtic’s second goal against Kilmarnock

Matt O’Riley, 23, has already been the subject of four bids from Italian side Atalanta this summer and other clubs across Europe are interested in him; Brighton and Chelsea are both keen on the Denmark midfielder; Brendan Rodgers has insisted Celtic do not need to sell him

Atalanta are preparing a fifth bid for Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, according to Sky Italy.

Sky Sports News revealed on Saturday that the Hoops rejected a fourth bid of £20m from the Serie A club.

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Atalanta club have been trying to land the Denmark international for over a month with previous bids of £14m, £14.3m and £15m all rejected by Celtic.

Brighton are also in talks with the Scottish Premiership champions for O’Riley, with Chelsea among a number of other clubs interested in him.

“There are obviously bids that will come in for Matt O’Riley but, I repeat, there is no need for us to sell and we don’t want to sell,” he told Sky Sports News.

“If there’s an offer that comes in that fits the valuation of the player then that’s a different matter.

“Until that moment I’m fairly relaxed because he’s training really well, working really hard and until that changes we just continue focused on performing.

“The challenge for teams coming to a club like Celtic is they sometimes can place their value on the league and not the player.

“What’s important for me is if a player does leave here, they pay the value for the player and that isn’t something that always happens.

“No player will leave here unless it’s for the right valuation and at this moment in time there’s been no team that’s been anywhere near that.”