Celtic's O'Riley on verge of Brighton switch

Matt O'Riley is a three-time Scottish Premiership winner

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed midfielder Matt O’Riley's move to Brighton is imminent.

The 23-year-old, who joined Celtic in January 2022, was absent for Sunday's league visit to St Mirren.

Rodgers told BBC Scotland: "He'll be down in Brighton completing his medical.

"That move should be done over the course of the next couple of days."

O'Riley, who has two Denmark caps, has scored 27 goals in 125 appearances for Celtic, collecting six winners' medals, including three Scottish Premiership titles.

"He has been absolutely magnificent in this last year," added Rodgers. "He gave everything to the team and the club.

"Right up to his very last day he was out doing extra work. That shows the mentality he has.

"So, I'm pleased for Matt in terms that he gets a move to the Premier League - and for us, we push on. That's the model of the club."

The fee could constitute a Celtic and Scottish record transfer sum as the Scottish champions were insisting on surpassing the fees paid by Al-Ittihad for Jota last summer and for Kieran Tierney's £25m switch to Arsenal in 2019.

It means Celtic stand to make a huge profit on the London-born player, who joined for a fee believed to be £1.5m and is under contract until May 2027.

"I said before the window opened, you pay for the player not necessarily the league," said Rodgers.

"The club have done great from a business perspective. From a football perspective, we're sad to lose a top player."

Celtic had rejected an approach for O'Riley from Atletico Madrid in January and he had also been linked with Atalanta, Chelsea and Southampton this summer.

Rodgers will now look to bring in new recruits, having said earlier that he would like two more midfielders if O'Riley was to leave.

"Ideal scenario, we wouldn't have to do so much business in the last week (of the transfer window)," he said. "However, there is still time for us to do something and improve the squad.

"Players will come and go at Celtic, but the structure and the way we play will always stay the same.

"Hopefully, we can add some strength and depth because, after September, it's a really long season."