Atalanta could step up their transfer pursuit of Celtic star Matt O'Riley after reportedly agreeing a fee for outgoing midfielder Teun Koopmeiners.
The Serie A club are said to have agreed a deal for the Dutch player to join Juventus this summer - but only if a replacement is signed.
And it's claimed O'Riley is viewed as the midfield successor to Koopmeiners at Atalanta which could mean Celtic's transfer resolve is tested again.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, a fee of €50m plus €5m in bonuses has been agreed for Atalanta to seel Koopmeiners to Juventus. For context that translates to a total transfer fee of around £47m.
But the deal will only be sanctioned once an agreement is in place for a replacement to be signed by Atalanta - that's where O'Riley comes in.
Atalanta have had multiple offers for O'Riley thrown out by Celtic this summer with the club holding firm on their valuation and demanding a record fee.
It's believed club chiefs are keen to land a fee in the region, or in excess, of the £25m banked for Kieran Tierney and Jota in recent years.
Read more:
Atalanta's latest bid was £20m and was rejected by the Celtic board with Brendan Rodgers also keen to keep hold of the talented midfielder.
However, with pressure now on from Juventus for Atalanta to bring in a transfer of their own to release Koopmeiners, it's possible the Serie A club could up their bid for O'Riley once more.
Rodgers said at the weekend: "I don't think we can replace like for like, he's [O'Riley] had three years growing into the player that he is now. If he did leave, to get someone like that straight away is very, very difficult.
"That's why if he did go it would be for big money and obviously we won't be spending that straight on one player.
"I'm not really overthinking it. He's a talented, gifted player who I love working with. He enjoys his time at Celtic and we'll just see day by day.
"His attitude is first class and he knows that I trust him 100 percent."
