Charles De Ketelaere has seemingly done enough during his loan spell to convince Atalanta to hand him a permanent contract. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan will earn around €22 million from the Belgian’s transfer after La Dea decided to trigger a buyout clause.
De Ketelaere’s landing in Italy was one of the most exciting stories in the summer of 2022. Milan sacrificed all other agendas to find common ground with Club Brugge. It took a lot of persuasion and €35m to get the deal over the line, only for the young gun to flop at San Siro.
When it looked like De Ketelaere’s days in Serie A were over, Atalanta threw the 23-year-old a lifeline. Gian Piero Gasperini, a rumored candidate to take the Napoli job this summer, viewed the versatile forward as a gamble worth taking last year. And his bet has paid off.
De Ketelaere has gone from one of the worst signings in Milan history to being a protagonist at Atalanta. After going scoreless in 40 appearances for Rossoneri, he has gone from strength to strength in Bergamo, tallying 11 goals and eight assists in 40 matches.
He has made 13 goal contributions in 29 Serie A outings this season, embracing a prominent role in La Dea’s Champions League charge. With Atalanta on the cusp of returning to Europe’s top table, having a player of De Ketelaere’s quality can’t hurt.
More importantly, if he continues in this vein, Atalanta could make a decent profit from his sale in the future.
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