Celtic have a lot of problems right now. Their form has been heading south for a while now and the club have dropped 8 points over their previous five games in the league. Not the kind of run you expect from the Hoops. And it has led to questions being asked about the board as well as Brendan Rodgers.
At this point in time, Celtic need to strengthen their squad. Parting ways with their best performers should not even be a discussion.
Despite Celtic's unconvincing performances, one player who has shined this season is Matt O'Riley. The Danish international has been fantastic since the arrival of Rodgers and seems to have taken his game to the next level. It is hard to imagine where the Hoops would be right now without his contributions. According to stats from Transfermarkt, he has scored 9 goals and provided 8 assists in 24 appearances in the 23/24 campaign so far.
Of course, that kind of form has seen O'Riley being linked with some top clubs around Europe. One of them appears to be Newcastle United.
Newcastle United looking to sign Celtic superstar
As reported by TEAMtalk, Newcastle United have joined the race for O’Riley. Leicester City and West Ham United are also monitoring him. Any deal will be a Scottish transfer record, with Celtic looking for a fee over £25 million for the midfielder.
Celtic should not even consider parting ways with O'Riley in the middle of the season. His departure next summer feels pretty inevitable though.
Of course, Celtic fans are no strangers to seeing their best players leave the club. It will be interesting to see what kind of transfer fee they receive if or when O'Riley does depart. The current record stands at £25 million, Kieran Tierney to Arsenal and Jota to Al-Ittihad.