Friday night brought the news that all Celtic fans have been dreading.
Matt O’Riley to Brighton and Hove Albion – to quote Fabrizio Romano – ‘here we go’.
After months of speculation, Celtic’s Player of the Year is finally set to seal his move to the Premier League for a fee of £25 million, rising to £30 million.
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers has already labelled O’Riley irreplaceable. Though that – replacing O’Riley – is the task now facing Celtic in the final week of the window.
Potentially readymade, like-for-like successors may be few and far between but, taking an every cloud has a silver lining approach, the Scottish champions will soon have sizeable wad of cash with which to strengthen their squad between now and the start of September.
Celtic set to sell Matt O’Riley to Brighton and Hove Albion
Rodgers, speaking to Sky Sports, admits that Celtic are still in the market for reinforcements.
And with funds hardly in short supply – Adam Idah, Viljami Sinisalo and Paulo Bernardo and the only players the Hoops have paid a transfer fee for this summer – there will be an air of nervousness surrounding those clubs bracing themselves for an assault from Parkhead.
Take Dundee, for instance.
Talismanic midfielder Luke McCowan is on Celtic’s radar, per the Scottish Sun. And while Dundee have remained firm in their valuation – knocking back a number of offers from Hibernian – one suspects Celtic could comfortably make an offer John Nelms’ side simply cannot refuse.
“The money has to be compelling. It’s not like we’re selling money to keep the lights on or anything,” Nelms, Dundee’s managing director, tells the Warm Up podcast on YouTube when asked what it would take to lure McCowan away from Dens Park.
“We’re investing in the organisation. The fans are investing in the organisation. So we have to be very careful in why we do it. And it has to be compelling.
“It can’t just be; ‘Oh a couple of hundred grand here, a couple of hundred grand there.’ And it has to be the right time (to sell)
“We’re talking from kids at 16 all the way up. What is the right time to go? What do their families want out of this? It does look to the fan base like it’s quite black and white. But it’s anything but.”
Luke McCowan is on Brendan Rodgers’ radar
McCowan, a huge presence on and off the pitch at Dundee and the man who has donned the captain’s armband for most of this season, will remain typically professional until his final day in the Lowlands.
“Luke’s a credit to himself. Luke is our captain. He’s handling of all the attention really, really well,” Nelms adds. “He says; ‘I’m a Dundee player, I’m the captain, I have a responsibility, this is what I do. Whatever happens, happens.’
“So he’s been a credit to himself.”
Dundee rejected Hibs’ most recent bid, worth £750,000, per the Daily Mail. Tony Docherty’s side are reportedly holding out for £1 million. A fee that would barely scratch the surface of the windfall Celtic are due once O’Riley completes his switch to The Amex.
Celtic, who could also lose Kyogo Furuhashi to Manchester City, have also been linked with a number of otehr midfielders alongside McCowan.
Venezia’s Tanner Tessmann is expected to join Lyon, however, while Hammarby teenager Bazoumana Toure is keen to stay put until the winter.
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