Leicester City and Newcastle United are now among the teams who want to sign Leeds United target Matt O’Riley from Celtic.
Celtic turned down a £10 million bid from Leeds for O’Riley late in the summer window, as the Scottish Champions fought hard to protect their most treasured asset.
O’Riley has now signed a new contract in Glasgow, although clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton are keeping an eye on his position.
According to Team Talk, Leicester City, Newcastle United, and West Ham United have all sent scouts to watch him play this season and could make a January bid for him.
Celtic are poised to demand a Scottish record transfer fee of £25 million to offload O’Riley, who is said to be reluctant to turn down a move to the Premier League.
Leeds’ O’Riley hopes all but over
If Premier League clubs make a move in January, it would effectively destroy any aspirations Leeds had of signing him.
Given the asking price, it appears unlikely that either Leeds or Leicester will make a play for him next month, with Championship football a huge impediment to the asking price set by Celtic.
Their only hope now is that they will be promoted back to the Premier League next summer. Of course, O’Riley and Celtic would have to turn down any January interest, even though he has previously stated that he is ready for the next step.
However, clubs that can now offer European football are likely to have an advantage over any newly promoted side, especially given his experience with Celtic.
O’Riley would have been a fantastic signing in the summer had Leeds been able to lure him to Elland Road, since a creative midfielder is still something that this squad lacks.
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