What Celtic must do in light of Matt O’Riley’s unclarified future

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Matt O’Riley continues to be linked with clubs across Europe this summer as his future at Celtic remains unclarified.

Atalanta are mooted to be the prime suitor for his services, having seen a bid of £15 million turned down for the Denmark international’s services.

O’Riley enjoyed a fantastic campaign last time out, registering 19 goals and 18 assists as Celtic claimed a domestic double; nevertheless, there is still uncertainty over whether he will be at Parkhead when the transfer window closer in September.

Nevertheless, there are suspicions that he could leave the Bhoys this summer, and he is said to be open to the possibility of a move to Europa League-winning outfit Atalanta.

With this in mind, Celtic can’t afford to take any chances on their engine room if he does depart Glasgow’s east end.

Celtic should look to make two midfield signings this summer

Paulo Bernardo could be on his way back to Celtic after the Bhoys agreed an initial fee of £3.5 million with Benfica for his signature.

Nevertheless, he is still involved in their pre-season training as fans await further updates on his future. Either way, on the premise he does join the Scottish Premiership champions, the Portugal Under-21 international shouldn’t be the only midfielder brought in by Brendan Rodgers this summer.

To contextualise, O’Riley registered 37 goal contributions last term; meanwhile, Bernardo came in with seven, albeit having been granted less first-team involvement.

The Almada-born man is a talented asset who could go on to hold down a place in the starting line-up this season; his potential isn’t in question at all. Despite this, Bernardo isn’t a like-for-like replacement if O’Riley were to leave Parkhead.

There is even an argument that he is more efficient in a deeper role due to his capacity to be a composed head in both boxes.

In that case, the Bhoys should also look to profile another advanced midfielder to come in alongside Bernardo if his prospective transfer goes through, as losing O’Riley’s creativity would be a big loss in the final third.

Transfer speculation is starting to intensify in Celtic circles, and hopefully, the club can deliver the quality Rodgers desires in the market.