Leicester Leading Southampton in Race for Matt O’Riley
Leicester City currently leading the race to sign Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.
Southampton are also keen to bring him to St Mary’s.
Flynn Downes is close to joining Southampton.
Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Leicester City are in the race to sign Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, with the Foxes currently leading the race, according to TuttoSport.
O’Riley has been one of the standout performers in the Scottish Premiership over the last few years, and the Danish star is now attracting interest from England. Southampton, Leicester, and Brighton are keen on bringing him to the Premier League, while clubs in Italy are also considering a move.
For Southampton, Russell Martin is looking to bring in quality to ensure his side put up a fight in their battle to avoid relegation. With Luton Town, Sheffield United, and Burnley being promoted and relegated the following campaign, the likes of Leicester, Southampton, and Ipswich Town will need to strengthen significantly to avoid a similar situation.
Leicester Leading Southampton in Race for O’Riley
Brighton, Atletico, and Atalanta are also keen
According to a report from TuttoSport, Leicester are now leading the race to sign O’Riley after losing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea earlier in the summer. Brighton, Atalanta, Southampton, and Atletico Madrid are also keen on the Danish international.
Reports from Sky Sports have claimed that Celtic have already rejected a bid from Atalanta for O’Riley, with the Italian side set to make another offer to prise him away from the Scottish club. It’s been suggested that Celtic could demand in the region of £50m to allow O’Riley to leave during the summer transfer window.
Adding a player of O’Riley’s quality to Russell Martin’s midfield would substantially improve their chances of survival next season. O’Riley is a goalscoring and creative threat from midfield, but Martin’s recruitment team will have a task on their hands convincing him to move to St Mary’s Stadium.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers certainly won’t want to lose O’Riley after labelling him as a player with ‘phenomenal’ consistency…
“He has been absolutely phenomenal really in his consistency. I think if we lacked anything as a team, it was probably that.”
Southampton Agree Deal for Flynn Downes
He impressed on loan last season
Flynn Downes was undoubtedly a key reason why Southampton gained promotion back to the Premier League last season. The English midfielder helped Martin implement his possession-based style after joining on loan from West Ham United.
According to a report from Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth, the Saints have now agreed a deal to bring Downes back to St Mary’s on a permanent transfer. Downes has now been given permission to travel to have a medical after originally being with the West Ham squad on their pre-season training camp in Austria.
