Atletico Madrid have been making big moves in the transfer market over the last few days. Horatiu Moldovan has arrived from Rapid Bucharest to be the club’s new backup goalkeeper, while deals for Arthur Vermeeren and Moise Kean. It could have been even better too, as they submitted an offer for Celtic’s Matt O’Riley.
However, that offer was rejected by the Scottish champions, as confirmed by their head coach, Brendan Rodgers, who stated that O’Riley will not be sold during the winter transfer window.
🚨🎙️ Brendan Rodgers (Celtic coach) confirms:
"There was an offer from Atletico Madrid for Matt O'Riley but he won't be going anywhere in January.
"Atletico Madrid is a big club in European football, but he's a big part of what we're doing here at Celtic."
"We don't want to… pic.twitter.com/pFo4ExEEhB
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) January 25, 2024
This rejection does not appear to have deterred Atleti too much, as Ruben Uria has reported that they could look to re-ignite their interest in the Danish midfielder during the summer, when Celtic are much more likely to be open to a sale.
🚨🇩🇰 Atlético Madrid would have liked to bring both Arthur Vermeeren and Matt O'Riley in this same transfer window.
Keep an eye on the Celtic player in the summer.
[🥇: @rubenuria via @Objetivoatleti] pic.twitter.com/2lpr04Z0gH
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) January 25, 2024
O’Riley has been the standout player in the SPFL Premiership this season, and he also impressed during the Champions League group stages, where Atletico Madrid came up against Celtic. He is expected to move on in the summer at the very latest, and it would be shrewd move if he does end up in the Spanish capital.
Image via Jan Kruger – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
