Southampton reportedly interested in Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.

SAINTS have reportedly showcased an interest in signing Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.

O’Riley previously played under Russell Martin at MK Dons before making a £1.5million move to Scotland in January 2022.

Last season he made 33 Scottish Premiership appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic, scoring three times and making 11 assists.

Sky Sports report that Southampton and Leeds are both interested in adding the 22 year old to their midfield ranks before the window closes.

O’Riley, who was born in London and qualifies to play for Denmark through his mother, has already scored twice and provided an assist in three league games for Celtic this season.

Martin is a long-term admirer of the Danish under-21 international having failed to sign him at Swansea.

The former Scotland international has previously expressed his desire to add more midfielders to his squad following the sales of James Ward-Prowse and Romeo Lavia.

Speaking in September 2022, O’Riley revealed that Martin became an avid follower of Celtic after his former player made the move north of the border.

He said: “I felt I was in a good place with my technical development when I was at Fulham.

“I spoke to Scott Parker a lot when I was there. But Martin is the one who I am still in contact with the most.

“He was a big influence on me at MK. He’s the first manager to really understand me as a player and more importantly as a person.

“Russell is happy for me. He tries to tune in to all the games, even though he’s a manager at Swansea.

“He loves watching and he’s a massive follower of my journey. Have I turned him into a follower of Celtic? I don’t want to get him any stick as a former Rangers player! But we have a good relationship.”