MATT O’RILEY has gone from a virtual unknown in the English third tier to one of the most wanted players in the game.
The 21-year-old Londoner has seen his valuation rocket since his £1.5million switch from MK Dons to Celtic in January.
The stylish midfielder, who has hopes of playing for his adopted nation Denmark in the World Cup Finals in Qatar next month and December, has been linked with several clubs, including Brendan Rodgers’ struggling Leicester City.
The Midlands club are second bottom position in the Premier league and the former Hoops gaffer has turned his attention to O’Riley. He is now likely to make a move in the January transfer window, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
UP IN THE AIR…Matt O’Riley does some ball juggling.
Rodgers sent chief scout Sean St Ledger to watch the gifted player during last week’s Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig a week ago and they are now prepared to step up their interest in a player who has already been monitored by Arsenal, Newcastle and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.
The Hoops are now bracing themselves for a bid in excess of £20million for the player who has taken over skipper Callum McGregor’s anchorman role since the onfield leader’s injury in the 3-1 Champions League loss in Germany earlier this month.
Rodgers has come under increasing pressure at the King Power stadium with the club lurching through a sequence of terrible results.
They have picked up just five points from 10 league matches and desperately need reinforcements when the window reopens at the turn of the year.
According to reports across the border, O’Riley is now one of their priority targets.
