Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley claims he knew of interest from both Leicester City and Newcastle United in the summer but neither club made an offer. The 21-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable ascent over the past two years and started for the Scottish club against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
O'Riley left Fulham on a free transfer back in the summer of 2020 and signed for League One side MK Dons in January 2021 after six months training with the club as a free agent. Less than a week after joining he scored his first professional goal and his impressive displays caught the eye of Celtic in January earlier this year.
Signing for a reported £1.5million fee and penning a four-year deal, the Denmark youth international has gone from strength to strength and was linked with a move to the Foxes in the summer. O'Riley also claimed Newcastle United were 'interested' in signing him, but no official offer was made.
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“I know that Leicester showed a lot of interest in me,” he told Danish outlet Tipsbladet. “And I think Newcastle were there too. But it didn't matter that any of them made an offer. If there is no offer, then it is not very concrete in my head.
“I didn't really think about it because nobody from Celtic told me that, for example, Newcastle had made an offer. It wasn't like that, so there wasn't much to think about, and a lot is also written in the media. It's great to get some recognition, because it means that I'm doing well at Celtic.
"But as I say, Celtic is the perfect place for me right now. It's a big club, we play in the Champions League, the fans are insanely good and the team is good. It's a perfect place to be, and I also think it's a good place to be if I want to go to the World Cup with Denmark."
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