Brendan Rodgers warns Celtic they 'cannot snooze' on transfers as he gets tough with O'Riley suitors over exit fee

Brendan Rodgers has warned the Celtic board they "cannot snooze" on transfers but insists there will be no Scottish Premiership discounts applied at the till for Matt O'Riley.

Southampton are keen to land the Hoops star with former boss Russell Martin unable to hide his admiration for the man he once managed at MK Dons. They've had one offer booted out while Atalanta have already tried and failed three times to prise Matt O'Riley away from Parkhead. Further attempts are expected but Rodgers will continue to demand top dollar, making it clear the Scottish game isn't a bargain basement.

The Irishman said: "It's actually been straightforward with Matt because he's such a great professional. I think the challenge when teams come to a club like Celtic, they sometimes can place a value on the league and not the player. We all understand the model here; players will come in and develop. It's not a club that you have to move on from, but obviously there's riches in other leagues much greater than ours that allows players to go and improve their conditions for their life. We all understand that.

"It's really important from my perspective that if a player does leave here, that they pay the value for the player. That's something that sometimes doesn't happen. Sometimes a value will come in a lot less. I've worked in the Premier League, I understand the levels there, I understand the players and what the values are. So no players 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 it."

Last season's double winners are yet to add an outfield player to their squad this summer, with the only new faces so far coming in the shape of goalkeepers Kasper Schmeichel