Southampton Eye O’Riley Exchange Deal Involving Shea Charles

Southampton are preparing a second interesting bid for Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley, as per Football Insider.

It is believed that the Saints are now considering a part-exchange offer featuring young defensive midfielder Shea Charles, in order to help them capture the in-demand 23-year-old Denmark international.

Speaking on the latest episode of Football Insider’s ‘Inside Track Podcast’, journalist Pete O’Rourke addressed the different aspects of the move and recounted the first bid that Southampton sent north of the border.

Southampton’s First O’Riley Bid Was Rejected

Celtic felt the £12m offer fell short of their valuation

Initially, Southampton’s first offer of £12million was rejected by Celtic, being deemed way off the mark and their £25million valuation.

Brendan Rodgers’ side hope to secure a club-record fee if they are to sell O’Riley before the window shuts, matching or beating the £25million it took to part ways with Kieran Tierney (in 2019) and Jota (2023).

This second offer enters negotiations with slightly more intrigue. 20-year-old Shea Charles has already emerged as Celtic’s latest signing target, and using the Northern Ireland midfielder as part of a trade offer may prove helpful. Charles has made 38 appearances for Southampton in all competitions since his debut in 2023. He has also played 17 times for the Northern Ireland national team.

Southampton Not the Only Team Wanting O’Riley

Atalanta have also been heavily linked with the Dane

While Saints’ offer including pre-existing Bhoys target Charles may boost their hopes, they aren’t the only team with the former MK Dons midfielder on their radar.

It is believed that Atalanta are also interested in him, as well as Thiago Motta’s Juventus. For ‘The Old Lady’, O’Riley is on their list of alternatives if they fail to land the services of Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners. The two clubs have struggled to agree an acceptable price despite the Dutchman agreeing personal terms.

O’Riley joined Celtic, as briefly mentioned, from MK Dons. He had previously been on the books at Fulham, and shone in Buckinghamshire after being released from the West London club. Arriving at Celtic in January 2022 for £1.5m fee after the club met his release clause, he captured three Scottish Premiership titles in three seasons at Celtic Park.

Additionally, out of those terms, he ended the campaign as top assist-maker with 12 and 13 assists in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, respectively. FBREF reflects his qualities with their in-depth scouting report. Compared to positional peers in the big five leagues, O’Riley ranks well within a number of stats’ top percentiles.

Statistics via FBREF

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