Martin keen on O'Riley reunion as MK Dons await potential pay-day

Russell Martin is looking to link-up again with Matt O’Riley following Southampton’s promotion to the Premier League.

The ex-MK Dons boss was the man responsible for bringing the Danish international to Stadium MK in 2020. O’Riley turned down a deal to remain at Fulham, and trained with Dons for nearly six months before putting pen to paper on a contract.

While Martin would move onto Swansea City a few months later, he was keen to bring the midfielder with him to Wales, but having moved for goalkeeper Andrew Fisher and defender Harry Darling, he would miss out on O’Riley who moved north of the border to Celtic.

The 23-year-old has had a stellar career at Celtic, scoring 27 goals in 119 appearances. In 2023/24, O’Riley was named Player of the Year, Player’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year for the Buoys as they won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup, with the midfielder finishing as top scorer with 19 goals and 18 assists.

But 400 miles south, Martin was setting new records with Southampton. Taking over last summer, Martin led the side to promotion via the play-offs back to the Premier League.

Speculation has been rife surrounding O’Riley’s future at Celtic Park, with several European giants understood to be sniffing about for his services, including Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan.

After being omitted by Denmark for their European Championship squad this summer, O’Riley is still the name on everyone’s lips though with Martin reportedly eager to reunite with the midfielder, bringing him to St Mary’s. The price-tag though would be significantly higher than the £1.5m Celtic are believed to have paid Dons in January 2022.

The club also have a sell-on clause in the deal with Celtic, so any move for O’Riley is likely to result in a windfall for Dons.