Serie A side ‘firm up’ interest in Celtic superstar as they line-up record-breaking offer

Italian side Atalanta are expected to up the ante in their pursuit of Celtic playmaker Matt O’Riley.

Atalanta, who finished fourth in the Serie A table last year, are preparing to compete in the Champions League next season after a phenomenal campaign which also saw the team reach the Coppa Italia final and triumph over Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League final.

However, they are likely to start the campaign without top scorer and star performer Teun Koopmeiners. The Dutchman’s departure has been on the cards for a number of weeks amid interest from Liverpool but reports in Italy understand that the 26-year-old prefers a move to Juventus as he edges closer to a blockbuster move.

The departure of Koopmeiners leaves Atalanta with a huge hole in their midfield in terms of goals and creativity, and it is widely reported that Gian Piero Gasperini sees O’Riley as the ideal candidate to fill that void.

Atalanta have already had two offers, believed to be in the region of around £15m rejected for O’Riley, with the Danish international being valued at around £25m. However, Atalanta are now in the process of ‘firming up’ their interest, according to TeamTalk, and the outlet understands that the Black and Blues are lining up an offer which could exceed Celtic’s record sale.

O’Riley, who scored 19 goals and notched 18 assists in 49 games for Brendan Rodgers’ side last season, set up Celtic’s second goal in a 4-0 victory against Kilmarnock in their Scottish Premiership opener last weekend.

The 23-year-old is seen as a massive part of Rodgers’ side as the Hoops target a fourth consecutive title defence and will not be allowed to leave unless a suitable offer is put forward. The ex-Leicester boss made his feelings crystal clear in an interview earlier in the summer.

“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.”