A report from Scotland has claimed that Newcastle United were watching Matt O’Riley during the international break.
The Celtic ace was in action for Denmark’s under-21s in their qualifying play-off for the 2023 European Championship.
O’Riley has recently been linked with a move to St James’ Park, along with a host of other clubs from around the continent. The likes of Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Leicester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Wolfsburg and Lille have also been registered with an interest (ESPN).
It now appears that the Magpies wanted a closer look at the 6 foot 2 gem.
Newcastle scouts watched O’Riley
According to Football Scotland, the 21-year-old ‘was watched by Newcastle’ as they continue to ‘monitor‘ his ‘talents’. O’Riley got on the scoresheet but the Danes were eventually beaten on penalties by Croatia.
Nevertheless, it seems that the Tynesiders are stepping up their interests in the ‘magician’, as he was labelled by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig.
Journalist Dean Jones recently told GIVEMESPORT that Newcastle ‘definitely want’ to bring in a creative player following their struggles in front of goal. Howe’s side controlled possession (72%) against Bournemouth in their last outing but could only score a penalty in the 1-1 draw, leaving them with just one goal from open play across their last three games.
O’Riley could be the solution
O’Riley arrived at Celtic in January for just £1.5m from MK Dons, with journalist Tom Barclay claiming that a number of Premier League clubs actually turned down the chance of signing the Fulham academy graduate.
After being directly involved in six goals following the move to Glasgow, he earned his first Denmark under-21 call-up at the end of March.
Having now rubbed shoulders with some of Europe’s elite in the Champions League when he came up against Real Madrid this month, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claimed that O’Riley is destined for ‘bigger highs’.
The journalist claimed that O’Riley didn’t look out of place against Los Blancos, and with Celtic willing to accept a bid in the region of £15m-£20m, he could prove to be a snip for PIF should they follow through on their interest.
