Report: Player Transfer Preference Emerges Amid West Ham Talks

According to HITC (11 July), Italian club Atalanta made an official offer for Celtic’s Denmark international Matt O’Riley, which was subsequently rejected. Despite this, a new bid is planned [Sky Sports, 11 July], with O’Riley prioritizing a move to Italy over the Premier League, despite previous talks with West Ham [HITC, 2 July].

The summer transfer window is expected to bring significant changes at the London Stadium, and the process has started well. Luis Guilherme has been brought in to bolster the attack, Max Kilman has strengthened the defense, and Wes Foderingham has added more competition in goal. However, the midfield remains untouched.

Flynn Downes has returned from a loan spell at Southampton, but he is likely to depart again, with a £10 million-plus player deal recently discussed between the two clubs [talkSPORT, 10 July].

Currently, Tomas Soucek, James Ward-Prowse, and Edson Alvarez are the only natural central midfield options in the squad. O’Riley would have provided strong competition for these positions and been a significant threat in the final third, given his 19 goals and 18 assists for Celtic last season.

However, the lack of European football might be a deciding factor for O’Riley, who seems keen on moving to the current Europa League holders. As a result, West Ham will need to find an alternative for this crucial position as the start of the season approaches.