Adelaide United’s star attacking midfielder Riley McGree has been targeted a plethora of European and Asian clubs
Adelaide United football director Bruce Djite said the club would not stand in Riley McGree’s way if they receive a formal offer for the star midfielder.
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Adelaide United’s current A-League standout Riley McGree could earn an Australian transfer record fee but Reds football director Bruce Djite revealed no formal approach had been made – just yet.
The 21-year-old’s reported transfer fee of $5 million, is $3.3 million more than ex-Socceroo Zejko Kalac’s $1.7 million Australian record from national soccer league club Sydney United to England’s Leicester City in 1995.
In what is looming to be a three-way deal sources claim, Dutch Eredivisie club Willem II first targeted McGree in a deal also involving his former Belgian Club Brugge and Adelaide.
McGree has also had interest from leading K-League clubs.
European reports suggested that McGree had been courted by Scotland’s Glasgow Rangers, Germany’s Fortuna Dusseldorf and Turkey’s Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe for a $5 million transfer fee.
Adelaide paid a transfer fee to Brugge for McGree last year after the Belgian club bought him from Adelaide in 2017.
The Australian under 23s captain was then loaned to Newcastle Jets and Melbourne City before the Reds resecured the Gawler Eagles product on a three-year contract.
The attacking midfielder scored 12 goals with six assists in 21 matches – A-League and FFA Cup – since his return last year.
“No-one has called the club or emailed us about Riley,’’ Djite said.
“I did speak to an agent about six weeks ago and I haven’t heard since and that was more like “would you sell him,” it wasn’t like “this club is interested” or anything like that.
“I gave a generic answer to that guy and never heard back.
“Not even an unofficial approach.”
However, Djite said if there was an official approach Adelaide would consider transferring McGree abroad.
“When Riley signed his deal with us, I told him at the press conference “I don’t want you to still be here at the end of this (Reds) deal,’’ Djite said.
“I rated him highly and the current season that he had just completely proves it.
“I don’t think he’s got more things to prove here, he is good enough to move, if someone approached us we’d look at it.”
McGree’s ‘scorpion goal’ for the Jets in an A-League semi final against Melbourne City in 2018 saw him being nominated among world football’s greats Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale and Mohamed Salah in the battle for FIFA’s Puskas award for the most beautiful goal of the year.
He was pipped by Salah for the prestigious award before Australia coach Graham Arnold made McGree the captain of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games campaign.
Football Federation Australia then suspended McGree from all international duty from November until April for an incident in Cambodia during the AFC U-23 championship qualifying tournament last year.
He was destined to make his Socceroos debut during the June 2020 Copa America which was postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
McGree’s European-based agent has been contacted for comment.