Newcastle had representatives watching Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley during Denmark Under 21’s game against Croatia on Tuesday night, according to reports in the Scottish media.

The 21-year-old scored the opening goal as the game finished 2-1 after extra-time, but his side lost out in a penalty shootout with a place at the Under 21 European Championships on the line.

O’Riley has been linked with a number of English Premier League clubs, including Leicester, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, but it appears Newcastle are currently the likeliest to make a bid for him in the New Year.

The midfielder only joined Celtic from MK Dons last January but his excellent form for the Hoops has attracted a lot of attention south of the border.

Reports suggest that O’Riley’s asking price is around £20m so, if Newcastle do decide to match the valuation, Celtic would be making a big profit on the £1.5m they paid for the player.