Leicester City now want to beat Leeds United to signing of 23-year-old, record fee required

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Leicester City and Newcastle United are now among the teams who want to sign Leeds United target Matt O’Riley from Celtic.

Leeds saw an offer of £10 million rejected by Celtic for O’Riley late on in the summer window, as the Scottish Champions fought hard to keep their most prized asset.

Since then, O’Riley has put pen-to-paper on a new deal in Glasgow, but that has not stopped clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton from keeping an eye on his situation.

And now according to Team Talk, Leicester, Newcastle and West Ham United have all sent scouts to watch him in action this season, and could make a move for him in January.

Celtic are set to demand a Scottish record transfer fee of £25 million in order to sell O’Riley, who would reportedly find it tough to turn down a move to the Premier League.

Leeds’ O’Riley hopes all but over

If Premier League clubs were to make their move in January, that would all but end any hopes Leeds may still have of signing him.

It feels unlikely either Leeds or Leicester make a move for him next month given the price tag, with Championship football a major hinderance to the asking price Celtic have put on him.

Their only hope now is likely to be next summer, as long as they get promoted back to the Premier League. Of course, O’Riley and Celtic would have to snub any interest in January, though he has already admitted that he is ready for the next step.

That said, clubs who can now offer European football are likely to have the upper hand on any newly promoted side anyway, particularly given he has a taste for it with Celtic.

O’Riley would’ve been a brilliant signing in the summer had Leeds somehow managed to prise him to Elland Road, with a creative midfielder still something that is lacking in this squad.