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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

Matt O'Riley Celtic contract talks 'ramped up' amid transfer interest

Matt O'Riley and Celtic have reportedly ramped up negotiations over a new contract.

Sky Sports claims that the attacking midfielder 'remains in talks' with the Scottish champions over fresh terms.

However, it is stated that it's widely expected for there to be some serious interest in O'Riley come the January transfer window.

It comes after Celtic rejected a £10m offer from Leeds United towards the end of the summer window.

Brendan Rodgers had already lost Jota and Carl Starfelt in the off-season, and the Irishman was not prepared to see another key member of the team leave.

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a sparkling start to the campaign from a personal perspective, scoring four goals and assisting twice in six Premiership games.

The Danish U21 international is contracted to the Parkhead outfit until 2026. Reports in Denmark have suggested that a full call-up for the English-born player is on the horizon.

He joined under Ange Postecoglou from MK Dons in January 2022.

Celtic have been working hard to tie up the futures of some of their best players in recent months including; Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda, Kyogo and Callum McGregor.

Should O'Riley commit, this would be another boost to the Hoops and Rodgers, as the boss aims to continue building on a solid grounding upon his return to the club.

Meanwhile, Caoimhin Kelleher could be the "ideal" fit to replace Joe Hart at Celtic.

That's according to former Parkhead goalkeeper Packie Bonner.

The Irishman reckons his old club needs a new, younger keeper coming through to rival Hart between the sticks.

Hart was sent off at the weekend versus Livingston and hasn't enjoyed the greatest of starts to the season on a personal note, making some high-profile errors.

Scott Bain replaced Hart off the bench on Saturday, which further highlighted Celtic's need to sign another goalie.

Liverpool back-up Kelleher is one that has been mooted for some time, with Brendan Rodgers seemingly very keen on the 24-year-old.

And Bonner believes the Irish goalkeeper would be a good option for his former side.

He told BBC Sportsound at the weekend: “They do need, I think, a young goalkeeper coming through the system. I don’t see it. They’ve gone with Scott Bain today. They’ve got [Ben] Siegrist there who doesn’t seem to be pushing his way through to even become number two."

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