Europa League winners Atalanta are keen to sign Milan loanee Charles De Ketelaere on a permanent basis, but money could be a problem. According to Calciomercato, La Dea hope to persuade the Rossoneri to lower their claims for the 23-year-old.
De Ketelaere swapped Milan for Atalanta last summer following a dreadful maiden season at San Siro. The Serie A runners-up paid Club Brugge €36.5 million to sign the versatile forward in 2022. However, after failing to score in his 40 appearances for the Rossoneri, he had to leave 12 months ago.
Atalanta offered him an escape route, and it worked wonders. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side forked out €3m to land the Belgium international on loan with an option to buy for a reported fee of just over €22m. Despite the Bergamo club’s genuine ambition to sign De Ketelaere permanently, it’ll require Milan’s goodwill.
Strapped for cash, Atalanta will try to drive the price down, even though it’s far-fetched. Selling De Ketelaere at a figure lower than €21.97m would inflict a capital loss on Milan’s balance sheets. Therefore, La Dea’s prayers would likely fall on their rivals’ deaf ears. They’ll probably need to raise funds to capture the Belgian.
Teun Koopmeiners’ heavily rumored exit could provide the cash. With Juventus and Liverpool going head-to-head for the Dutch midfielder’s services, Atalanta are in a perfect position to maximize their gains. Though the club would rather keep hold of their standout star, the ex-AZ Alkmaar man seems closer to leaving than staying at the Gewiss Stadium.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |