Fulham are due as much as 50% of the £1.5 million that Celtic paid MK Dons for midfielder Matt O'Riley, according to The Athletic. 

The 21-year-old's move north of the border was confirmed yesterday as he joined the Scottish giants on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

O'Riley has been linked with a string of clubs in January, including Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City, but Celtic won the race for him in a deal worth £1.5 million – though MK Dons may see just half of that money.

The Athletic has reported that Fulham are due as much as 50% of the fee paid for the midfielder due to a compensation agreement struck between the two clubs when he initially joined the League One side last January.

A product of the west London club's academy system, O'Riley rejected a new contract offer and left Craven Cottage in July 2020 in search of regular first team football.

Russell Martin signed him for MK Dons in the first month of 2021 and he has gone from strength to strength since – scoring 10 times and adding nine assists in his 54 appearances for the club.

The Verdict

This is more of a gutting blow for MK Dons than it is a boost for Fulham in my eyes.

Not only have the League One side lost one of their best players midway through a season in which they are eyeing the play-offs, it seems they could be compensated just £750,000.

Replacing him is going to be no easy task but their transfer policy has been impressive in recent years, so you wouldn't put it past them.

For Fulham, the windfall is clearly a boost financially but in the grand scheme of things and with promotion to the Premier League looking likely this term it's not going to make much of an impact.