Italian giants keen to trump Tottenham Hotspur to 24-year-old former Celtic star

Tottenham have been among the admirers of Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Matt O’Riley. They have held an interest in the player despite him joining the Seagulls from Celtic in a deal worth around £25million last summer.

Things have not quite worked for the Denmark international down south thus far, though. Matt O’Riley has made just 12 starts in all competitions since arriving at Brighton, struggling to cement down a regular spot under manager Fabian Hurzeler. He suffered a horror injury eight minutes into his Brighton debut and had to spend two months on the sidelines. The creative midfielder returned from injury with a bang, scoring the winner against Manchester City with a late strike at the Amex Stadium.

Now, according to an exclusive report from TBR Football, AS Roma are preparing a bid for O’Riley to lure him to Serie A. Clubs in Italy and Spain are monitoring his situation, while there is interest from Premier League clubs too, should Brighton allow the 24-year-old to leave after just one season.

Spurs could largely benefit from having a player of O’Riley’s skill-set and versatility. Capable of playing in multiple positions across the middle of the park, the Denmark star can influence things in the final third with his excellent passing range and vision. The Hounslow-born talent was excellent during his two-and-a-half years at Celtic, where he registered 27 goals and 34 assists in 121 appearances.

That said, Tottenham must rival Roma to O’Riley’s signature. Majorly due to injury problems, the midfielder has not managed to live up to the lofty expectations at Brighton, but he is a quality player and would fit in well at White Hart Lane. If Ange Postecoglou stays beyond this season, he’d would to reunite with O’Riley having managed him very well at Celtic and won trophies together.