After Brighton intensified their bidding war for the Parkhead playmaker, Matt O’Riley, Celtic is prepared for his departure and has a backup plan ready in case he does.

The English Premier League team has started negotiations to acquire the Denmark international with a price tag of at least £25 million. After fending off multiple attempts from Serie A Atalanta, the Italians gave up after receiving a final offer of about £20 million, but Celtic won’t let O’Riley go for peanuts. Brighton will have little trouble paying the requested amount, and the Hoops are aware that it will be challenging if the 23-year-old is a sweet switcher.

Despite his long-term goals of playing in one of Europe’s top leagues—O’Riley has already drawn significant interest from Italy, Spain, and Germany—he has stated he is not in a rush to leave the Celts. With less than two weeks left in the window, Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls have jumped to the top of the queue, although several other English clubs are also in the running. The top player’s departure has been anticipated by the Celtics, who have a number of options in place should he decide to leave.

Arne Engels, a 20-year-old wonder from Augsburg who might cost up to £10 million, is near the top of the list, and the Hoops have already had preliminary discussions with his representatives. Parkhead executives, led by Brendan Rodgers, have stated that they are resolved to allocate their transfer funds towards quality over quantity. Despite having already paid £8.5 million in cash for Adam Idah to return to Glasgow, they would not object to the amount.

Despite rumors of Leicester City’s interest from the south, the Irishman is also trying to hold onto other important players in his team. The club is hoping to reject any offers this summer for Reo Hatate. The Japanese player is reportedly focusing on improving his fitness this season after an injury-plagued campaign last year, but he still has long-term dreams of playing in England. Cameron Carter-Vickers, a defender for the Washington Wizards, is hoping to keep up Celtic’s scorching start to the year and pursue a perfect season this year.

Under Ange Postecoglou, the USA captain was a member of the victorious team that won the Triple Crown. He recovered from an injury to win the Double the previous game. With their victory over Hibs over the weekend, Celts stormed into the Premier Sports Cup quarterfinals, and Carter-Vickers is eager to add the trophy to his collection after losing out on it a year ago.

“Obviously, this competition was disappointing last season, but every season you want to win every competition,” he stated. The objectives remain the same as they were in past seasons, but winning this one is something we really want to do.

Carter-Vickers said of his one complaint about the Celtics thus far this season, “It’s annoying.”

“I firmly believe that we are capable of more. We’ve got off to a good start; it’s almost like preseason all over again, but maybe as the season progresses and we keep working together, we’ll get better. I

“Doing it in the first three, four, or five games is fine, but consistency is really important, in my opinion. It would be fantastic if we could keep at that level and make a little improvement all season long.

Carter-Vickers is happy with Celtic’s explosive start to the season, but he cautions that Rodgers’ team still has more to offer.

He stated, “I believe so.” Both our current performance and the preseason ones have been strong. Since it’s early, all we can do is keep working and trying to get better. That’s what we’ve been doing thus far, and things will go well if we keep going in that direction.

As this is the manager’s second year, I believe it makes sense that the more time he spends with the team, the more he may incorporate his preferred training and working methods.

We’re at a good spot, in my opinion. We’re simply keeping working hard and trying to heal; we haven’t had any injuries yet.

Teams preparing to sign a former Celtic £25 million export

Several clubs are competing to sign former Celtic star Jota as the transfer window nears its close. The 25-year-old has struggled since moving from Scotland to Saudi Arabia, and it seems both he and his current club, Al Ittihad, are interested in ending their partnership.

Reports from France indicate that teams like Rennes and Marseille are interested in the player. However, a major hurdle for potential buyers is Jota’s salary, which is reportedly around £200k per week.

According to the French outlet SportZone, Wolves and Sporting Lisbon are also in the race for his signature, with Jorge Mendes playing a key role in the negotiations. Jota has made only 22 appearances across all competitions in Saudi Arabia, scoring four goals and providing one assist—a stark contrast to his impressive performances at Celtic.

In a recent interaction with Celtic fans in Lisbon, Jota expressed his love for the club but was unsure about a return. During his two-year stint in Glasgow, Jota made 83 appearances, scored 28 goals, and provided 26 assists, contributing to five trophy wins for Celtic and attracting interest from several clubs.