After Atalanta saw their third offer of €17m rejected for Matt O’Riley, Celtic coach Brendon Rodgers warns no proposal has come ‘anywhere near’ his valuation.
The midfielder is a Denmark international and as such has attracted interest from all over Europe, with Atalanta still the favourites ahead of Juventus and Southampton.
However, La Dea saw three bids turned down by the Scottish club for O’Riley, with the latest believed to be worth €17m over the last few days.
Now the warning has come straight from the mouth of Celtic manager Rodgers that it will cost them a lot more to sign the 23-year-old, insisting they’ve got to treat the Scottish side like a Premier League club.
Rodgers tells Atalanta to pay up for O’Riley
“It’s actually been straightforward with Matt because he’s such a great professional,” Rodgers told Sky Sports UK.
“I think what is always the challenge for teams coming to a team like Celtic is that they can place a value on the league and not the player. I’ve already told the club that.
“We all understand the model here – players will come in and develop. It’s not a club that you have to move on from, but there are riches in other leagues much richer than ours that allow players to go and improve the conditions of their lives.
“We all understand that, but it’s really important that if a player does leave here we are paid for the value of the players, and that’s sometimes something that cannot happen.
“Sometimes a value will come in that’s a lot less. I’ve worked in the Premier League, I understand the levels there and the players’ value. No player will leave unless it’s for the right valuation. At this point in time, there’s been no team that’s been anywhere near it.”
Atalanta see O’Riley as a potential replacement for Teun Koopmeiners, who has been approached by Juventus with a €45m turned down.
It is believed that Celtic are holding on for €20-25m including add-ons if they are to sell the former Fulham and MK Dons star, who was purchased in January 2022 for just €1.8m.
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💸 O’Riley offer must ‘value the player, not the league’We’ve been speaking to Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers ahead of their Premiership opener vs Kilmarnock, live on Sky 📺 pic.twitter.com/GXUza0ee3w
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