European heavyweights ready to table club-record offer for £30m Celtic star as one club falls short of demands

Serie A giants Juventus have joined the race to sign in-demand Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, according to reports from Italian sports outlet Tuttosport.

O’Riley has had plenty of interest from a number of European heavyweights in recent months after a tremendous season with the Hoops which saw him register a combined total of 19 goals and 18 assists across all competitions as his team lifted the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double.

The Danish international was the subject of huge interest from Atletico Madrid back in January but at the time Celtic refused to listen to any offers from Diego Simeone’s team due to the short window of opportunity to find a replacement.

While the Spanish side are still thought to be interested in the 23-year-old, the first club to make an official bid this summer was Europa League holders Atalanta, who had an offer of £15m rejected earlier this month.

O’Riley’s former manager Russell Martin of Southampton is believed to be keeping tabs on the situation as his team prepare for life back in the Premier League while reports have also linked AS Roma with a potential move as coach Daniele De Rossi begins his first summer transfer window as manager in the capital.

The Daily Record understands that Celtic are demanding a club record-fee of around £30m to prise O’Riley away from Parkhead this summer and that is something that Juventus are now considering paying to land their top target.

The Old Lady are currently in the middle of a new era of management, with former Bologna boss Thiago Motta taking over the reigns from Massimiliano Allegri. The new boss is searching for a midfielder to provide competition for summer signings Douglas Luiz and Khéphren Thuram after the departure of veteran Adrien Rabiot on a free transfer and Paul Pogba’s suspension from the sport.

Juventus were interested in Teun Koopmeiners from Atlanta but reports now suggest that a deal for the Netherlands international has stalled due to Gian Piero Gasperini’s reluctance to let him leave the Gewiss Stadium.

Tuttosport believe that O’Riley is now the Italian side’s primary target this summer but also claim that Frosinone ace Marco Brescianini could emerge as a cheaper alternative in that position.

O’Riley has been on the books at Celtic since January 2022 after arriving from English League One side MK Dons for a bargain fee of just £1.5m. The youngster scored four goals in his first 16 appearances to help the Hoops to a league title under Ange Postecoglou and made a positive impression in his first six months.

The following season in Glasgow, he emerged as a first team regular with three goals and 12 assists from his 38 matches en route to a treble. But last season O’Riley was able to take his game to a whole new level as he fired in 18 goals and 19 assists in total whilst also winning two caps for the Denmark national team, with many considering him unlucky not to be involved at Euro 2024.