Milan are ready to take the next steps in their pursuit of Charles De Ketelaere. The Belgian starlet has jumped atop of their shortlist of offensive targets. However, he will not come cheap, and Club Brugge are driving a hard bargain.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri could exploit the fact that the 21-year-old feels the time has come for him to transfer to a bigger league. Such desire clashes with his team’s intention to keep him, though.
Milan will try to pull off a double swoop from the Belgian outfit, purchasing both De Ketelaere and Noa Lang. The latter is inching closer to joining in a €20M move. Instead, the Rossoneri will offer €40M for his teammate, hoping it will be enough to lure him away.
The 21-year-old, also considering his wages, would still be less expensive than Nicolò Zaniolo. According to Il Tempo (via Tuttomercatoweb), Roma are in no rush to sell and rebuffed the sides that have inquired so far by slapping an €80M evaluation on their ace. They could settle for a lot less if the extension talks went awry, but it will take time.
In addition, Christopher Nkunku, who was linked to the Rossoneri, is nearing an agreement on a new contract with his current side, Leipziger Volkszeitung reports. Milan primarily envision De Ketelaere as a no.10. They could ship Brahim Diaz back to Real Madrid if their chase were successful, Calciomercato informs.
Our Take on Milan Zeroing In on De Ketelaere
The Belgian prodigy is a safe bet to succeed elsewhere and would be the repeat of their typical signings of the last few years but on a bigger scale thanks to the RedBird Capital money. The attacker does not lack suitors either, so it would be a proper coup.