Atletico Madrid have reportedly maintained their interest in Matt O’Riley.
O’Riley was the subject of a £20 million Atletico bid whilst at Celtic, but remained at the club until the following summer.
Then, he joined Brighton for a fee rising to £30 million, but he now finds himself out of favour on the south coast. A spell on loan at Marseille earlier this season didn’t offer much success either.
The timing may not have been right last time, but now could be the perfect moment for O’Riley to move to the Spanish capital.
Matt O’Riley returns to Brighton.
Would you have him back at Celtic?
Matt O’Riley: Atletico Madrid and Serie A sides maintain interest in ex-Celtic midfielder
According to Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, Atletico maintain their interest in O’Riley from the January when they sent offers to Celtic.
Diego Simeone is an admirer of the Denmark international.
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Serie A sides playing in Europe are also seriously interested in the 25-year-old, who is contracted until 2029 at the Amex stadium.
He was on the receiving end of a horror tackle just minutes into his Seagulls career, leading O’Riley to struggle to find momentum in his first season in England.
Despite starting in Brighton’s first two games of the season, he was sent out on loan on deadline day, with Seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler stressing the importance of minutes.
His move to Marseille earlier this season started well, but by the end, fans were labelling him as a ‘ghost’ for his last two months.
He was brought to the French giants by Roberto De Zerbi, now in charge at Tottenham. Speaking after the signing was completed, was full of praise for his Celtic spell.
Which former Celtic player are you picking to come back?
He said: Speaking about O’Riley after his first few games in France, boss De Zerbi waxed lyrical over his Celtic spell, saying: “He played very well at Celtic and Brighton.
“He was courted in other leagues and by Champions League teams. He’s a strong, serious player, he understands football.
“He had a good game against Madrid because he was always with his back to goal. The more we progressed, the more we felt him on the pitch.
“He’s the player who runs the most on our team. He’s Danish and he gets along with Hojbjerg. He does simple things in the right way.”
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