Celtic have firmly rejected Atalanta's fifth bid for Matt O’Riley, which was reportedly valued at £21.5million.

The Italian side have continued to pursue the Denmark international for over a month, with their previous offers ranging from £14m to £20m all falling short of Celtic's valuation.

Manager Brendan Rodgers recently reiterated that any club interested in acquiring the Hoops midfielder should merit the player's qualities rather than think a lowball offer is acceptable because of the league they play in. 

O’Riley has emerged as a key player for Celtic, showcasing his talent with an impressive record last season, where he netted 19 goals and provided 18 assists across 49 appearances.

His contributions were pivotal in helping the team secure a domestic Double, and that form has extended into the 2024/25 campaign, where he produced a standout performance in Celtic's recent 4-0 league win against Kilmarnock and also shined during pre-season ties versus Manchester City and Chelsea.

The 23-year-old is contracted with Celtic until 2027, giving the Glasgow club leverage in negotiations.

Additionally, Celtic previously turned down a £20 million offer from Atletico Madrid during the winter transfer window, indicating their commitment to retaining O’Riley as a vital asset in their squad.

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With interest from both Atalanta and Brighton, the future of O’Riley remains a hot topic in the transfer market, but Celtic appears resolute in keeping the talented star.

Atalanta are likely to go back in with a higher offer once Teun Koopmeiners is sold to Juventus for around €55m.

Rodgers words on the matter, speaking to Sky Sports, were: "There are obviously bids that will come in for Matt O'Riley but, I repeat, there is no need for us to sell and we don't want to sell.

"If there's an offer that comes in that fits the valuation of the player then that's a different matter.

"Until that moment I'm fairly relaxed because he's training really well, working really hard and until that changes we just continue focused on performing.

"The challenge for teams coming to a club like Celtic is they sometimes can place their value on the league and not the player.

"What's important for me is if a player does leave here, they pay the value for the player and that isn't something that always happens.

"No player will leave here unless it's for the right valuation and at this moment in time there's been no team that's been anywhere near that."

More to follow...