Matt O’Riley: Brighton to sign Celtic midfielder, says Brendan Rodgers

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed midfielder Matt O’Riley’s move to Brighton is imminent.

The 23-year-old is absent for Sunday’s league visit to St Mirren, with Rodgers telling BBC Scotland: “He’ll be down in Brighton completing his medical.

“That move should be done over the course of the next couple of days.”

O’Riley, who has two Denmark caps, has scored 27 goals in 125 appearances for Celtic, collecting six winners’ medals, including three Scottish Premiership titles.

“He has been absolutely magnificent in this last year,” added Rodgers. “He gave everything to the team and the club.

“Right up to his very last day he was out doing extra work. That shows the mentality he has.

“So, I’m pleased for Matt in terms that he gets a move to the Premier League – and for us, we push on. That’s the model of the club.”

The fee could constitute a Celtic and Scottish record transfer sum as the Scottish champions were insisting on surpassing the fees paid by Al-Ittihad for Jota last summer and for Kieran Tierney’s 2019 switch to Arsenal.

It means Celtic stand to make a huge profit on the London-born player who joined from MK Dons in January 2022 and is under contract until May 2027.

“I said before the window opened, you pay for the player not necessarily the league,” said Rodgers.

“The club have done great from a business perspective. From a football perspective, we’re sad to lose a top player.”

Celtic had rejected an approach for O’Riley from Atletico Madrid in January and he had also been linked with Atalanta, Chelsea and Southampton this summer.