Celtic have some top quality players in their ranks at the moment and have done a wonderful job keeping them together this summer. There have been no high profile exits, other than the departures of Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton at the end of last season, after the veteran duo decided to bring the curtain down on their nearly decade-long Parkhead careers.
In terms of exits, the ones that deserve the most mention are that of Vasilis Barkas and Ismaila Soro on loan, and Boli Bolingoli and Christopher Jullien on a permanent basis. It remains to be seen if anybody joins that list before the transfer window slams shut in less than a week.
On the pitch, most of the headlines have been grabbed by the likes of Kyogo, Jota and Giorgos Giakoumakis, for their exploits in the final third of the pitch for Celtic. But in terms of exit rumours, Matt O’Riley seems to be the man in most demand this summer.
The Danish youth international has been linked with clubs like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Leicester City and several other teams this summer. But it looks like he is not thinking about an exit at the moment.
Celtic star has no plans to leave amid links with Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Leicester City and more
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, O’Riley told bold.dk:
"“Yes, there are some clubs who have inquired about me. I can’t say which clubs, though. But while it’s great to know there’s a lot of interest in me, I’ve only got one thing on my mind and that’s to do well for Celtic.“I have no plans to leave Celtic, so if nothing happens, nothing happens, and that’s fine. I’m really happy to be at the club where we’re also going to play the Champions League, which I’m really looking forward to. It’s huge.“I am aware and have heard about the interest from some of the big clubs, but I must admit that it is not something that I think about so much.”"
It is funny how quickly things can change in football. Not too long ago, O’Riley was playing for MK Dons in the English League One and when Celtic signed him in January, many wondered whether it was the right choice on the part of the club.
In fact, it did not look like he was the club’s first choice either, as they had been linked with a move for Riley McGree initially and when that failed to transpire, they appeared to make the move to sign O’Riley.