Newcastle United, Tottenham & Aston Villa emerge as potential suitors for Celtic superstar

Matt O’Riley added another goal to his tally for what has been a sensational 2023/24 season for the Hoops midfielder when he scored the opening goal in his side’s 2-1 derby victory over Rivals rangers.

Celtic are now in prime position to wrap up another league championship and the Denmark international has been their standout performer for the campaign. It comes as no surprise that the 23-year old is being heavily tipped to make a big money move away from Glasgow this summer having also previously been lined up by some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

Atletico Madrid made a move to land the former Fulham and MK Dons man in January but manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed they had rejected the bid and that O’Riley would be staying at least until the end of the season. Now though it looks like the summer interest is already heating up with two of English football’s biggest clubs now being linked with the player.

According to Danish publication Tipsbladet, Celtic are ‘in dialogue’ with ‘two unnamed top six teams from England's top tier’. The Premier League side are said to be enquiring about a possible transfer ahead of this summer's European Championship finals.

The report does not name the clubs but the current top six in the Premier League are; Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United. The London born midfielder will be an appealing prospect to clubs in England not just for his ability but also his status as a home-grown player having come through Fulham’s youth academy.

Tottenham, who face title chasers Manchester City, are of course managed by former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou who signed O’Riley for the Hoops in January 2022. Although not specifically named in the report, it seems plausible that Spurs could be one of the six clubs being touted.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United have previously been linked with the player although nothing concrete ever seemed to emerge from St James’ Park. Aston Villa could be looking for reinforcements as they target Champions League football next season and Liverpool are set to welcome a new manager but Arsenal and Manchester City both already have midfields stacked with world class talent so are probably the least likely of the two potential clubs.