Roma step up efforts to sign Matt O’Riley, Brighton reluctant to sell

New Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini has had a long-standing interest in the Denmark international, having admired him during his time at Atalanta prior to the midfielder’s high-profile £25 million move from Celtic to The Seagulls last summer.

Although O’Riley scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win against Manchester City in November 2024, his debut season on the south coast was hampered by injuries, limiting him to only 23 appearances across all competitions.

Italian media have linked the former Celtic star with a switch to Serie A, and while The Athletic reports that Brighton are not actively seeking to sell him, they are open to evaluating any incoming offers.

Should Roma sign the 24 year-old, Gasperini plans to deploy O’Riley as a classic number eight or dynamic box-to-box midfielder.

With 2022 World Cup winner Leandro Paredes nearing a return to Boca Juniors, Roma is searching for midfield reinforcements and are interested in Palmeiras standout Richard Rios as well as Lens’ Moroccan international Neil El Aynaoui.

This follows recent remarks from O’Riley, who voiced his frustration over being played out of position by Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler last season.

During an interview while representing Denmark on international duty last month, O’Riley was clear about his preferred role. He said: “I’m just giving my opinion. It makes it difficult to show off when you play a position you’re not completely happy with.”

“I can play better for the team if I play the number 8 position, but I can play well in other positions. You can say it in a way that is not aggressive. If you are honest with another person, you don’t lose anything. The coach can always say he doesn’t agree.”

“I’ve become better at defending myself, being more aggressive and intense in duels. My coach said I should work on my defensive attitude so that I could defend better and help the team in that way. I think that will also help on the national team.”

“I’m best at the number eight position, where I can go box to box. I’ve only played two games there, otherwise, I’ve been used as a winger, false number nine, or something else.”

Conor Spence

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