Milan have actively started negotiating with Club Brugge to onboard Charles De Ketelaere. The Belgian starlet is one of the top targets of the Rossoneri to bolster their frontline. Coach Stefano Pioli is pushing for the deal too and has gotten in touch with the player over the last few days, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
The Italian champions have offered €20M plus add-ons. Their bid was rejected, but it was just the first step in the talks. The Belgian outfit is asking for €30M. They hope an international bidding war could further drive up the price tag. Moreover, they are in no rush to sell and would be happy to keep him for another season. Leeds United are also very keen on the attacker.
Milan wish De Ketelaere could help them by asking out, which has not happened thus far. The Scudetto winners want to conclude the deal, or eventually move to other objectives, within the next 10/15 days. While the fee would be sizeable, the wages of the 21-year-old would be low, around €2M. It would be the opposite of Hakim Ziyech, and the Rossoneri could sign them both. In addition, they have not given up for Renato Sanches, whose transfer to PSG is not a foregone conclusion yet.
Our Take on Milan Tracking De Ketelaere
The prodigy would likely need some adaptation period, but he is an easy bet to succeed everywhere given his talent. Other than supplanting Brahim Diaz at no.10, he might even become a solution as a not-so-false nine in the long run. The bigger question is whether the front office will be willing to go toe-to-toe with another club for a signing this time, something they refused to do for Sven Botman, or if the figures will get too high for their liking.