Milan are inching closer to Belgian talent Charles De Ketelaere with their latest €30M proposal. Latest reports from Calciomercato indicate that the 21-year-old already has an agreement in principle with the Rossoneri for a five-year contract. The Serie A club and the player are currently waiting for a green light from Club Brugge to seal the deal.
There is growing optimism for the move to be secured by the end of the week, but club head coach Carl Hoefkens prefers that De Ketelaere and even teammate Noa Lang stay put at the club for their development.
Speaking to Belgian outlet Nieuwsblad (via MilanNews), the gaffer revealed his stance regarding the links between their duo and the Rossoneri’s transfer plans.
“I’ll tell you what I said to them: ‘I would prefer you to stay’. I try to talk to them casually, I want to know what’s going on in their heads. But in my opinion, they are in a position of luxury. They are both incredibly loved and highly regarded here. As a club we will work on a transfer at the right time, but until then they just have to prepare as well as possible. For us or for their new team.”
Milan Primavera duo Andreas Jungdal and Emil Roback were touted to be added in the De Ketelaere package, but it now looks like the Rossoneri will be able to close the saga without any players heading the other way. The starlet recently missed Club Brugge’s pre-season friendly against Copenhagen in Wagenigen for reasons unknown, only fueling rumors that he may soon leave.