Celtic have demanded Matt O'Riley not be included in any deal to land Southampton midfielder Shea Charles, according to a report.
The Parkhead club are said to be interested in the 20-year-old with a loan move targeted this summer for the former Manchester City youngster.
However, according to the Daily Record, Celtic don't want to include a move for Charles in a transfer exit deal for O'Riley. It rules out the possibility of a transfer including a move in the opposite direction for Charles but separate deals could be done for the pair.
The Celtic playmaker has been heavily linked with a transfer exit this summer with a host of clubs tracking his progress at Celtic.
Southampton boss Russell Martin worked with O'Riley at MK Dons and is thought to be keen on a reunion at St Mary's. But a reported transfer bid was knocked back earlier this week.
Atalanta have had interest in O'Riley rebuffed with multiple transfer approaches thrown out by Celtic who are thought to be demanding a record fee for the player.
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While Celtic are keen on a loan for Charles - who has played in holding midfield and across the defense - they don't want to involve O'Riley in any negotiation.
It's claimed Celtic chiefs would prefer separate negotiations over Charles aside from any discussion over a permanent transfer move for O'Riley.
Quizzed on a possible transfer exit for O'Riley this summer, Rodgers previously commented: "Celtic is a club where you can move on but you don’t have to and it’s a very difficult club to move on from.
“I think we all understand, the people close to Celtic, the model Celtic works to.
“Matt’s been at the club for three years, he’s developed into the player he has and he knows the privilege it is to play for Celtic.
“Of course naturally how it works is the player gets that opportunity to move on.
“Naturally with the wages that are on offer for players then that makes it a real challenge for Celtic to compete at that level.
“But what I’ve seen with Matt is he’s a first-class professional. He’s a really humble guy who’s really devoted to his profession and he knows what he has here.
“We’re all quite relaxed about it. Every player has a value but we see him as a really important player and while he’s here we’ll continue to develop him and improve.”
