Former MK Dons star Matt O’Riley has joined Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion from Celtic.

O’Riley has signed for the Seagulls for an undisclosed fee reported by several sources to be in the region of £25million, which would be the record fee received by a Scottish side.

The 23-year-old midfielder has signed a five year contract at the Amex Stadium, becoming their eighth summer signing as they strengthen under new Head Coach Fabian Hürzeler.

O’Riley spent just under a year with MK Dons before moving to Scotland. He joined the Dons as a free agent in January 2021 after training with the club following a release by Fulham and became a key player. In his time at Stadium MK, he made 54 appearances and scored 10 goals, including a winner against AFC Wimbledon in his final appearance for the club.

O’Riley left MK Dons in January 2022 to sign for Celtic, moving for an undisclosed fee reportedly around £1.5million.

The midfielder has impressed in Scotland, making 124 appearances in all competitions, scoring 27 times and being recognised as one of the Glasgow club’s key players.

In his time at Celtic Park, O’Riley has won 3 Scottish Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup title. He has also represented the Bhoys in the Champions League and been named the club’s Player of the Year, Player’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in various seasons there, while he has also received two caps for Denmark.

Rumours that O’Riley was set to leave Glasgow had been regularly heard throughout the summer. Italian side Atalanta had multiple bids rejected, while other suitors linked included Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid and Southampton, the latter of whom are managed by O’Riley’s former MK Dons boss Russell Martin.

Hürzeler told the Brighton website that he felt O’Riley’s skills and ambition made him a perfect fit for the club’s project.

He said, “He plays a very specialist position; he is very good at occupying and attacking the right space. He likes making deep runs, and knows when to attack at the right time.

“He enjoys getting forward and attacking the opponent’s penalty area, but he also has a good defensive instinct. That balance makes him special. He is a great character, and has a good ambition to succeed and that’s something which is very important for us.”