Brendan Rodgers reveals Celtic left-back hammer blow as he tells Matt O'Riley suitors why more bids are futile

Brendan Rodgers has hammered home the message Matt O’Riley is not for sale during the January transfer window.

The Celtic boss revealed Atletico Madrid’s bid –believed to be around £20m – for the playmaker was way below the clubs’ valuation. But he insisted the Parkhead club are not looking to cash in on O’Riley right now at any price. Rodgers – who will be without crocked Greg Taylor for at least a fortnight – said: “Matt is a player we don’t want to lose and he won’t be going anywhere in January.

‘He is very much part of what we are doing. He has been a joy to work with and I had a good chat with Matt this morning and he is someone who will be here for us in the second part of the season. It’s one of the things I have been really impressed with Matt, his mentality, his professionalism and the respect he has for Celtic.

“He had an opportunity in the summer but he was very happy to extend here and obviously Atletico Madrid is a huge club but he also knows he is in a great place here. He has really kicked on this season and he wants to continue with that.

“We have no want to sell and no need to and he will be here for the second part of the season. I’m not sure (if there will be more bids) but it doesn’t really matter, he is not someone we want to sell.

“Firstly, you have a value of the player and certainly what has come in for Matt in the time I have been here is nowhere near the valuation of the quality of player he is. But even if it was we are in a position where we don’t want to sell.”

Rodgers held crunch talks with O’Riley yesterday morning and was left convinced the Denmark cap is content with Celtic’s decision not to sell to the La Liga powerhouses. He said: “Listen, I could have ignored it. But I pulled him in