Matt O'Riley to rake in mega Celtic transfer fee as THREE English clubs scout him

Matt O'Riley could spark a transfer bidding war this summer as THREE Premier League clubs track him.

The Celtic star, 23, has enjoyed the best season of his career after inspiring the Hoops to title glory. The Denmark cap was the subject of a bid from Atletico Madrid in January but Parkhead chiefs stood firm and rejected an offer believed to be around £20million.

However, it's widely expected the playmaker will move on this summer and Celts will expect to rake in a Scottish record fee for arguably their biggest asset. The Scottish Sun reports that Brighton are "leading the chase" for the Celtic fans' favourite, while West Ham and Everton are also weighing up offers.

It's said that scouts from the English trio travelled to Glasgow last week to see O'Riley score in the 2-1 win over Rangers. The Seagulls are in the market for a new goalscoring midfielder with Pascal Gross expected to move on. Brighton have been reluctant to shell out big money on signings but will have to break the bank to land O'Riley, at least eclipsing Kieran Tierney's £25m sale to Arsenal in 2019.

After getting his hands on the Premiership trophy for a third time yesterday, O'Riley admitted it would be hard for him to leave the Scottish champions. But the Hoops hero has made it clear his full focus is on wrapping up a Double ahead of next week's Scottish Cup FInal with Rangers.

Quizzed on the speculation over a summer exit, O'Riley said: "That's a tough question. It would be very difficult. I have said before, the club means a lot to me now. Right from day one I kind of fell in love with the club because the fans are so crazy and passionate - it is just a proper fan base. One more game to focus on and then take it from there."