Report: Liverpool now considering late move to sign £20m midfielder who has seriously impressed scouts

Liverpool are considering whether or not to make a late move to sign Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.

That’s according to ESPN, who claim that the 21-year-old has ‘caught the eye’ of teams across Europe, including Liverpool.

It’s claimed that Celtic have ‘no interest’ in letting O’Riley go. However, a bid of £15-£20m could reportedly be ‘tempting’ for the Scottish Champions.

As well as Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund are named as having an interest in the English-born Denmark U21 international.

Newcastle United and Leicester City are also claimed to be weighing up a bid for O’Riley. Meanwhile, scouts from Lille and Wolfsburg are said to have been ‘impressed’ after watching him.

Liverpool have been linked to all kinds of midfielders this transfer window, but this a new name. It’s also one that would seem realistic.

The price being quoted is excellent from a Liverpool point of view, and O’Riley looks like a player with a high ceiling.

There may be some hesitation in the fact that he’d be coming from Celtic just eight months after joining from MK Dons. Perhaps a move to a Newcastle or Leicester may need to happen first.

But O’Riley clearly has bigger things in his future. With so many teams chasing his signature, and having made a splash on the international scene already, he could be a good catch.

O’Riley spent his academy years at Fulham. As a result, he’ll be well-known to Liverpool stars Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.

Liverpool are famed for gathering character references on players before making a move to sign them. Should they receive good reviews from Elliott and Carvalho, maybe this will convince them to pull the trigger.

Time is running out for Liverpool to add a much-needed midfielder to their squad before deadline day. Reds fans may not be too excited by a player like O’Riley, but maybe he’s exactly the kind of option they need.