Liverpool are considering whether or not to make a late move to sign Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.
That’s according to ESPN, who claim that the 21-year-old has ‘caught the eye’ of teams across Europe, including Liverpool.
It’s claimed that Celtic have ‘no interest’ in letting O’Riley go. However, a bid of £15-£20m could reportedly be ‘tempting’ for the Scottish Champions.
As well as Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are named as having an interest in the English-born Denmark U21 international.
Newcastle United and Leicester City are also claimed to be weighing up a bid for O’Riley. Meanwhile, scouts from Lille and Wolfsburg are said to have been ‘impressed’ after watching him.
A new name for Liverpool fans
Liverpool have been linked to all kinds of midfielders this transfer window, but this a new name. It’s also one that would seem realistic.
The price being quoted is excellent from a Liverpool point of view, and O’Riley looks like a player with a high ceiling.
There may be some hesitation in the fact that he’d be coming from Celtic just eight months after joining from MK Dons. Perhaps a move to a Newcastle or Leicester may need to happen first.
But O’Riley clearly has bigger things in his future. With so many teams chasing his signature, and having made a splash on the international scene already, he could be a good catch.
O’Riley spent his academy years at Fulham. As a result, he’ll be well-known to Liverpool stars Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.
Liverpool are famed for gathering character references on players before making a move to sign them. Should they receive good reviews from Elliott and Carvalho, maybe this will convince them to pull the trigger.
Time is running out for Liverpool to add a much-needed midfielder to their squad before deadline day. Reds fans may not be too excited by a player like O’Riley, but maybe he’s exactly the kind of option they need.
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