Newcastle United have reportedly been informed that they will need to smash a club’s transfer record to complete the signing of their “wonderful” player.
Newcastle eyeing new midfielders
The Magpies have been hit hard in so many different areas of the pitch because of injuries this season, with key men missing in goal, defence and attack. Perhaps the biggest blow in some respect has been the 10-month suspension handed to midfielder Sandro Tonali, however, with Newcastle’s summer signing banned after being found guilty of betting breaches during his time at AC Milan.
It is a huge setback, both for the player and the club, with Tonali making such a promising start to life at St James’ Park, but now not available until next season.
The Italian’s absence has heightened the need for Newcastle to bring in a new central midfielder during the January transfer window, with Manchester City and England man Kalvin Phillips seemingly emerging as a clear front-runner. He is surely desperate to move away in January, in order to play more, and he could be an ideal fit for Eddie Howe in the middle of the park.
Newcastle want Matt O’Riley
According to a new update from TEAMtalk however, Newcastle are interested in signing Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley. The player could be tempted by a big move to England, but the Magpies will have to break the Hoops’ record sale of £25m to get a deal done.
“Newcastle United have scouted the 23-year-old on multiple occasions, including whilst he was playing senior international football for his country, Denmark. The Magpies are not alone in their admiration with Championship leaders Leicester City and Premier League mainstays West Ham United also monitoring O’Riley. Newcastle have been present at Celtic Park and are among a host of clubs around Europe who could move in the upcoming window for the talented midfielder.”
O’Riley is an extremely highly-rated player at Celtic, with the 23-year-old such an influential player in central midfield, combining creativity with hard work. The Englishman is enjoying a fantastic season for the Scottish Premiership giants, scoring nine goals and chipping in with five assists in the league in 2023/24 to date.
Celtic likely won’t want to lose him, with manager Brendan Rodgers clearly a big admirer of his midfielder, saying of him back in August: “I really like him, his build-up play is good, he takes the ball, and he needs to work on his pressing and intensity but he is a wonderful footballer and he is a good guy as well.”
While the step up to the Premier League from the Scottish Premiership is great, O’Riley could certainly be an interesting option for Newcastle, should Howe believe he can get the best out of him.
He is still young enough to improve a lot more as a player, but the ingredients are already there as he is showing week in, week out, and he is one of the first names on the team sheet for Scotland’s biggest club.
