Former Celtic star Matt O’Riley set for summer transfer | OneFootball

Former Hoops hero likely on the move, and it’s reported that Celtic could benefit from their sell on clause…

Former Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley is attracting interest from French Ligue 1 side Lyon, after falling out of favour at EPL side Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 25 year old Danish international was recalled by seagulls boss Fabian Hurzeler from a loan spell with Lyon’s domestic rivals Marseille last February, but has struggled to get regular game time in England’s south coast.

The former MK Dons midfielder missed a chunk of pre-season due to Illness, and was omitted from the German’s squad for Sunday’s EPL opener at the Amex Stadium which saw Brighton hammer Aston Villa 4-0 to get their campaign off to an absolute flyer.

Lyon are one of several European clubs said to be interested in O’Riley who left Celtic for the Seagulls in August 2024 for a fee believed to be £25 million.

The former Fulham youngster has three years remaining on his contract at the Amex but due to ongoing interest, there’s a strong chance the 25 year old won’t be a Brighton player on 1st September – the English transfer deadline day.

According to Sky Sports:

“Matt O’Riley could leave Brighton in the final week of the window. O’Riley has had an illness during pre season and missed some of Fabian Hurzeler’s pre-season preparations. Lyon are among a number of clubs who have approached with interest in either a loan or permanent deal, along with several other clubs from Europe’s top-five leagues.”

It’s been widely reported that Celtic hold a 10% sell-on fee for O’Riley, however it remains unknown whether this applies to an overall fee or purely profit. It would be nice if it was the former but unfortunately it’s much more likely to be the latter.

Matt O’Riley of Brighton & Hove Albion looks on during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Newcastle United FC at Amex Stadium on May 04, 2025. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

If so then this means that if Lyon sign him for upwards of £25 million then Celtic will definitely receive a cut of the fee. With the English transfer window closing two days prior to the Scottish equivalent, it could allow Martin O’Neill to reinvest any possible windfall.

Matt O’Riley of Celtic celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the Scottish Cup Semi Final match between Aberdeen and Celtic at Hampden on April 20, 2024 i(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Even if it does up being a small sum then every penny helps. The real loss for Celtic is if Matt does well at his next club and gets another move down the line for a substantially higher fee. Celtic of course would NOT have any sell-on clause to rely ob at that stage, with Brighton the club likely to benefit.  That’s football I suppose.

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