CHELSEA have joined the race to Celtic star Matt O’Riley.
The midfielder has attracted plenty of suitors with his impressive performances for the Hoops.
Several Premier League outfits are lining up a move for the Dane, with Chelsea identifying him as a potential replacement for Conor Gallagher.
The Blues offered Gallagher a new contract but he turned it down amid interest from Atletico Madrid.
Gallagher could leave for around £34million and the funds could be used to sign O’Riley.
Celtic have already snubbed offers for their talisman including a £14million bid from recently promoted Southampton.
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Crystal Palace and Brighton are also long-term admirers of the midfielder.
O’Riley has also been chased by Italian side Atalanta all summer, but Premier League football may appeal more.
The Danish international is understood to be unlikely to settle for being a squad man at any new club and will want guarantees of first-team appearances.
Chelsea may have to offer more than £20m plus extras to persuade Celtic to sell with boss Brendan Rodgers adamant he will be going nowhere until his asking price is met.
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The West London side have had a busy transfer window and finalised the £20.7m signing of goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen from Villarreal this week.
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Meanwhile Ben Chilwell could leave the club with Manchester United targeting the left-back.
There are concerns the left-back may not fit into Enzo Maresca’s set-up, as the Italian likes to use inverted full-backs who drop into midfield.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
