Matt O’Riley on Leicester and Newcastle transfer interest as Celtic star admits it's 'great' to get recognition

Matt O’Riley revealed he was aware of and flattered by serious interest from Leicester City and Newcastle United but said he blanked the speculation when no bid was made from the English Premier League duo. And the 21-year-old former MK Dons midfielder insists Parkhead is the “perfect” place for him right now with the Hoops star contracted to the Scottish Premiership champions until 2026.

O’Riley has proved a shrewd buy following his £1.5 million move in January and made his Champions League debut against Real Madrid last week and is preparing for Group F matchday two against Shakhtar Donetsk in Warsaw.

His form saw him linked with giants Manchester United and Liverpool over the summer but spoke of the Foxes, managed by former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers, and the Magpies. The Denmark Under-21 international is chasing his Qatar World Cup dream and, speaking to Danish outlet Tipsbladet said: “I know that Leicester showed a lot of interest in me. And I think Newcastle were there too. But it didn't matter that any of them made an offer. If there is no offer, then it is not very concrete in my head.

“I didn't really think about it because nobody from Celtic told me that, for example, Newcastle had made an offer. It wasn't like that, so there wasn't much to think about, and a lot is also written in the media. It's great to get some recognition, because it means that I'm doing well at Celtic. But as I say, Celtic is the perfect place for me right now. It's a big club, we play in the Champions League, the fans are insanely good and the team is good. It's a perfect place to be, and I also think it's a good place to be if I want to go to the World Cup with Denmark.”

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