Milan and Atalanta have made a decisive breakthrough in talks over the future of out-of-sorts forward Charles De Ketelaere. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Belgium U21 international could be in Bergamo at the start of next week to undergo a medical.
It’s no secret Milan boss Stefano Pioli wants to offload De Ketelaere. Only a year ago, the Italians paid Club Brugge upward of €30 million to bring the 22-year-old to San Siro. Now, they’re ready to accept some capital loss to get rid of their underperforming starlet.
Despite several approaches from abroad, De Ketelaere is set to stay in Serie A. Milan and Atalanta have defined an agreement over his loan switch to the Gewiss Stadium. La Dea will fork out €3m to borrow the left-footed playmaker for next season.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have included an option to buy De Ketealere permanently next summer for a figure close to €27m, including add-ons. The youngster will touch down in Bergamo early next week to complete medical examinations before leaving Milan.
His transfer is a win-win deal. While Milan get to remove one of their fringe players, Atalanta will have another decent option in the front third. After the departures of Jeremie Boga and Rasmus Hojlund, Gasperini has gone rampant in the transfer window.
El Bilal Toure and Gianluca Scamacca have joined the team to fill the vacancies. But Atalanta won’t stop there. De Ketelaere’s underwhelming season-long spell at Milan has helped them add another piece to Gasperini’s jigsaw.
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