Another two Liverpool transfer options evaporate as Atalanta line up record move for Koopmeiners replacement

Atalanta’s interest in Matt O’Riley has reportedly firmed up considerably with the Serie A side ready to sign the Celtic star as a replacement for long-term Liverpool target, Teun Koopmeiners.

Koopmeiners departure has been on the cards for some time with the Dutch midfielder already telling the club that he was keen to move on with Juventus and Liverpool linked to the Gli Orobici star.

The playmaker is said to prefer a move to Turin over Merseyside but either way it seems that Atalanta will need to secure his replacement sooner rather than later.

And while Liverpool were strongly linked with a move for the Dutchman – a player Arne Slot knows well –  they never actually firmed up their interest, instead opting to pursue a deal for Martin Zubimendi instead – a move which also failed to get over the line for the Reds.

Instead, Koopmeiners is now on the cusp of a move to Juventus, with talks progressing over a deal which is likely to fetch in the region of €60m (£51.3m).

Now that Koopmeiners is all set to leave Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad in Bergamo, reports out of Italy suggest Atalanta will increase their offer to Celtic who would prefer to keep the promising midfielder at Celtic Park but could be swayed by a new Scottish record fee for O’Riley.

Koopmeiners delivered a terrific showing in the Europa League when the Italian team eliminated Liverpool last season.

He prospered during the 2023-24 season, generating 22 goal involvements in 51 appearances across all competitions, which drew the attention of numerous European teams.

Koopmeiners is said to enjoy the lifestyle in Italy and would prefer the move to Juventus over a potential shift to Liverpool, however, the Turin-based side will need to ramp up their pursuit with the transfer deadline approaching.

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Atalanta empowered in pursuit of O’Riley

Liverpool have also been tentatively linked with a move for O’Riley too though TEAMtalk understands that never really developed either as the Reds cast their attention elsewhere.

Atalanta, though, have been trying to land Denmark international O’Riley for some time with previous bids of £14m, £14.3m and £15m all rejected by Celtic who have suggested that the Italian club would need to deliver a bid in the region of £25m.

Brighton are also in negotiations with the Scottish Premiership champions about O’Riley, who is also wanted by Chelsea and other teams in the Premier League and Championship.

O’Riley, who scored 19 goals and notched 18 assists in 49 games for Brendan Rodgers’ side last season, set up Celtic’s second goal in a 4-0 victory against Kilmarnock in their Scottish Premiership opener last weekend.

Rodgers has made his views on the departure of O’Riley crystal clear.

“There are obviously bids that will come in for Matt O’Riley but, I repeat, there is no need for us to sell and we don’t want to sell,” he told Sky Sports News.

“If there’s an offer that comes in that fits the valuation of the player then that’s a different matter.

“Until that moment I’m fairly relaxed because he’s training really well, working really hard and until that changes we just continue focused on performing.

“The challenge for teams coming to a club like Celtic is they sometimes can place their value on the league and not the player.

“What’s important for me is if a player does leave here, they pay the value for the player and that isn’t something that always happens.

“No player will leave here unless it’s for the right valuation and at this moment in time there’s been no team that’s been anywhere near that.”