Celtic have completed the signing of MK Dons midfielder Matt O’Riley, the Scottish Premiership side have confirmed.
O’Riley joins the club on a four-and-a-half-year deal after Celtic activated a reported £1.5 million release clause in his contract.
The former Fulham youngster had been linked with a move to the Championship, with Swansea City and Blackburn Rovers interested.
Matt O’Riley Joins Celtic From MK Dons
📝🆕 Our 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒕 January signing… 🟢⚪@mattoriley8 has joined #CelticFC on a four-and-a-half year deal, subject to international clearance! 🙌 #WelcomeMatt🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 20, 2022
A Key Player for the Dons
After joining MK Dons in January last year on a free transfer from Fulham, O’Riley became a massive player for the club.
In 23 league appearances last season, he contributed three goals and two assists. This season, he took a massive jump in that regard, scoring seven and assisting a further six in 26 matches.
A report from The Athletic says that Fulham could be due a ‘sizeable’ sell-on fee, which could be as much as 50%.
No Russell Martin Reunion
O’Riley had been one of several MK Dons players linked with a move to Swansea, who are managed by former Dons boss Russell Martin.
The Swans have already managed to poach goalkeeper Andrew Fisher, which led to Steven Benda heading out on loan to Peterborough United and the Dons bringing in Jamie Cumming on loan from Chelsea.
Defender Harry Darling had also been mentioned as a target for Martin, but that move appears to be off too, meaning he’s likely to land just one of his former players.
Busy Window Continues for Celtic
The signing of O’Riley continues another busy transfer window for Celtic.
Postecoglou’s side have already splashed out on Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi from the J1 League, while Daizen Maeda also joins from Yokohama F.M. on loan.
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