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News
- 23 minutes ago
Celtic set for HUGE transfer windfall as fan favourite edges closer to exit
Cameron Smith
- 25 Nov 2025 11:04 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Marseille are interested in signing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Matt O’Riley on a permanent deal in January and Celtic are in line for a major windfall if the transfer goes through.
O’Riley, 25, completed a €29.5 million move from Celtic to Brighton in 2024, following a stellar spell with the Scottish giants, but he endured an injury-hit debut campaign at the AMEX Stadium.
Current ETV
Matt O'Riley
M (C)
Marseille
Matt O'Riley
M (C)
Marseille
ETV Range
€20.3M - €24.8M
The Denmark international was restricted to just 11 Premier League starts throughout his first season with the Seagulls and he was expected to play a far more prominent role in 2025-26.
O’Riley was subsequently named in the starting XI in both of Brighton’s opening two matches of the new English top flight campaign, before completing a shock loan move to Marseille on Transfer Deadline Day.
Since his arrival in France, O’Riley has impressed thoroughly and Marseille are now eager to make his loan deal permanent during the upcoming January transfer window.
That is according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas, who posted on X: “Marseille want talks with Brighton over a permanent deal for Matt O’Riley in January. French club aware of growing interest from other top European clubs and keen to get ahead of competition.”
It remains to be seen how much Brighton will demand to sanction a permanent sale, although it’s likely they will be eager to recoup the club record fee of €29.5m they paid to sign O’Riley in 2024.
In addition to extracting that fee for the Denmark international, Celtic also included a 10% sell-on clause in his transfer to Brighton, as per multiple reports, meaning they will receive an additional payment if O’Riley joins Marseille on a permanent deal in January.
Roberto De Zerbi on Matt O’Riley
O’Riley has played a key role since joining Marseille and head coach Roberto De Zerbi heaped praise on the midfielder back in September.
“He played very well at Celtic and Brighton,” De Zerbi told reporters. “He was courted in other leagues and by Champions League teams. He’s a strong, serious player, he understands football.
“He had a good game against [Real] Madrid because he was always with his back to goal. The more we progressed, the more we felt him on the pitch.
“He’s the player who runs the most on our team. He’s Danish and he gets along with [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg. He does simple things in the right way.”
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