Newcastle United want Matt O’Riley and pundit Kris Boyd thinks Celtic will struggle to keep hold of the midfielder in 2023.
Celtic were in action on Sunday afternoon as they travelled to take on Livingston.
The Bhoys claimed a comfortable 3-0 win as Kyogo Furuhashi set the Bhoys on their way with a superb finish.
Greg Taylor slammed home the second from range before Jota added a third late on.
Celtic look set to head into the World Cup top of the Scottish Premiership table but keeping hold of key players in January could be a battle.
Newcastle United want Matt O’Riley
A number of Celtic players will have garnered interest from elsewhere.
Josip Juranovic is one of them but playmaker Matt O’Riley may attract more interest than anyone else.
The January signing from Milton Keynes Dons has been simply outstanding and looks like an outrageous bargain at just £1.5million plus add-ons.
O’Riley has notched five assists in 12 league games this season, showing off his playmaking ability.
Tall, strong, creative and an outstanding presser, O’Riley looks like the whole package as an attacking midfielder.
The problem for Celtic is that other clubs are already sniffing around.
ESPN reported in August that Newcastle were targeting Celtic ace Matt O’Riley as a potential £20million signing.
O’Riley then told Tipsbladet in Denmark that Newcastle were interested in signing him alongside Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester City.
Newcastle have scouted O’Riley on a number of occasions this season and the Magpies may make their move in 2023.
Celtic fans won’t love listening to former Rangers striker Kris Boyd and his prediction about O’Riley won’t delight them.
Speaking to Sky Sports (30/10, 11:35am), Boyd suggested that Celtic will struggle to keep hold of O’Riley in the coming months.
Boyd believes interest form English clubs – such as Newcastle – is inevitable because O’Riley has been ‘brilliant’ in 2022.
Boyd added that O’Riley will bring in ‘big, big money’ and praised everything about his game in the middle of the park.
“I think, since he’s come to Scotland, he has been nothing short of brilliant,” said Boyd. “I think the way he receives the ball, he’s always looking to go forward, he’s a good size. I’ll be honest, I think Celtic will struggle to keep hold of him in the coming months because there will be interest down south, there’s no doubt about that.”
“He sees things early, he’s got that vision and the thing that has really impressed me is his tackling and his timing of the tackle. Celtic have done really well in the transfer market over the last few years and he’s another one who is going to bring them in big, big money,” he added.
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