Celtic fire out Matt O'Riley price warning as Brendan Rodgers plays it cool on Adam Idah and weekend transfers

Manager Brendan Rodgers has warned Matt O'Riley's growing list of suitors that they will need to spend big to prise him away from Celtic.

Denmark internationalist O'Riley has been the subject of two failed bids from Serie A side Atalanta, with reports in the Italian media suggesting that the Bergamo-based outfit will return with an increased offer in the region of £23million. Atletico Madrid and Southampton are also said to be weighing up a move for the 23-year-old, who has been one of Celtic's key players since moving from MK Dons two-and-a-half years ago.

O'Riley has played a pivotal part in Celtic's pre-season fixtures and is expected to be part of the team to face Kilmarnock on Sunday in the defending Premiership champions' league opener. Rodgers believes that the Scottish market can be devalued and warned poachers that his players will not be sold on the cheap. The Northern Irishman is also positive that O'Riley will be able to blank out the noise.

"I'm very confident it won't affect him," said Rodgers. "It's not easy. That's the reality of it. But he is an ultimate professional. He knows he's in a good place here. I've said it before, Celtic’s a place that you can leave, but you don't have to. And I think he has seen what the last three years and and last season that he's had, what it has given him, and that progress that he's made in his career.

Brendan Rodgers is all smiles with Matt O'Riley during a Celtic training session on Friday | SNS Group

"He’s 23, so if he gets to 35 years of age, he's got 12 more years left in his career, so he's invested in his time, in his development. It's clear he will attract attention. But I've said it during the week that and this is not just for Celtic, this is for the Scottish game in general. I think for so long, the price that's set on the player is because of the league. And having worked down south for a number of years and knowing the money and the finances and the level of players then sometimes the league gets the fee and gets the offer.

"Well, it won't happen. You pay for the player, you absolutely pay for the player if you want the player. I've known young guys in this window that I've worked with recently who've gone for say £30million, and we get offers in for the likes of Matt, with the greatest of respect, nowhere near that. So we don't have to sell. The club doesn't have to sell.

"We respect that there will be a a point in a young player’s career at this club where he may for financial conditions of his life, be able to improve that three to four times over. Okay, but there has to be still a value to the player and not just the league. And for us he's a very valuable player. So until that changes, I've got every faith in his focus, his mentality, and you can see it in pre-season, his performances again are consistently very, very high. So he looks in a great place, along with the other players.

"I think he understands and, as a young guy, which is great, that a lot of it can be gossip and speculation, and until there's something concrete there that really makes them think, then he gets on with his work. So I think that's a gift that he has.

Adam Idah has been linked with a move back to Celtic | SNS Group

"He's very level headed and there's no doubt that the speculation, top European teams or Premier League teams can wobble you, there's no doubt. But I've not seen that. I've not seen that with him at all and I think we have a lot of communication on it as well. He knows my feelings on his ability and where he's at and where he can go to but, it's like everything in life, it's all about timing."

In terms of incomings, reports in England have intimated that last season's loanee Adam Idah is close to returning on a permanent deal from Norwich City after he missed the Canaries' pre-season training camp. Rodgers was less committal, saying "not that I'm aware of" when those stories were put to him.

The manager is unsure as to whether he will have any fresh faces in his squad ahead of the Killie match. "There's work going on, but we just have to keep our eyes open and hopefully we can," he said. "But my focus is very much with the squad of players that we have now with Paulo [Bernardo] in and getting us ready for the for the weekend. And then we still get just under four weeks to bring the players in that will hopefully be the difference for us."

Celtic are likely to be without forward Daizen Maeda for Sunday's opener, but fellow wide man Nicolas Kuhn and defender Cameron Carter-Vickers should be available. "Nicolas is back in training the last couple of days so he'll be okay for the weekend," updated Rodgers. "Daizen we just need to assess, he may not make it at the weekend. It was quite a nasty knee bruise that he had against Chelsea when he came off so. So we'll give that to the last moment and and see how he is. Cam, fine. So the squad is in a really good place."