Celtic 'reject' THIRD Matt O'Riley transfer bid as Atalanta reach decision time while Southampton watch and wait

Celtic have rejected a third bid from Atalanta for Matt O'Riley, according to a report.

The Serie A side have already seen two offers booted out by the Scottish Premiership champions, and have now failed with a €17million offer, according to reports in Italy. Now the Europa League winners are weighing up whether to go even higher or move on to other targets who won't put such a dent in their transfer budget.

Celtic are standing firm over O'Riley and are determined to get get top dollar for the Danish international if they are to sell him. O'Riley is contracted to the Hoops until 2027 and whilst it has been claimed he was open to a move to Serie A, the 23-year-old is happy to sight tight at Parkhead until such a time that someone can tempt the Glasgow giants to the negotiating table with an offer they can't bat away.

Whether or not that comes from Southampton remains to be seen. Record Sport exclusively revealed that the Saints were readying a £20m offer for O'Riley, but have so far kept their powder dry. Atalanta's approach may inform the St Mary's club, although boss Russell Martin makes no secret of his admiration for O'Riley, who he managed at MK Dons and tried to sign for Swansea before he joined Celtic.

However, the Premier League new boys don't have the deepest of pockets and can't just keep chucking money at Celtic in a bid to wear them down. Marin admitted: "We are not in a position where we're going to go and spend absolutely huge sums of money on players. I think Celtic want a lot of money for Matty as would I, as any club would if they had one of their top performances."