It’s becoming clearer and clearer that despite a late arrival on the scene by Southampton, Charles de Ketelaere is going to have to choose between Leeds United and Milan.
That’s what Gazzetta dello Sport are running with on Thursday, explaining that the Serie A side are ‘thinking of a relaunch that is already in the air’, as Club Brugge are ‘waiting for interest to turn into an auction’.
Meanwhile, ‘Leeds watch from afar, knowing they lack the charm of a seven-time European Cup winning team’.
Therefore, it’s no coincidence that De Ketelaere’s agent is current in Milan, and ‘no, it’s not a pleasure trip’, because the player would prefer a move to the Serie A side.
While Milan made an initial bid of €20m + bonuses, Leeds ‘shot high’ in the €30m area, meaning the Italians ‘now have to move up to the €30-35m zone, perhaps including bonuses’.
Such an offer ‘is in the air’, even ‘expected in days, almost minutes’, and the rest will all be up to the forward, ‘hoping that Leeds do not exaggerate with the proposals’ or that the aforementioned late comer, Southampton, ‘do not relaunch strongly’.
Not only that, but there’s a fear other big Premier League sides could also catch on and join the race, but that doesn’t appear a guarantee right now.
The Sven Botman issue is also fresh in the mind of Milan chiefs, who encountered a club, Lille, holding the most money before eventually losing out to Newcastle.
However, when it comes to the Leeds target, ‘there is a good chance that it will go differently’, and whether he moves to Italy ‘will likely be decided in the next 10 days for a figure that is inevitably not far from €30m’.
Over at Calciomercato, things are put a bit more bluntly, with it claimed the Elland Road side are all but out of the race.
That’s because De Ketelaere has decided he wants to move to Milan, with a ‘no thanks’ replied to Leeds’ offer, despite it matching the €35m asking price set by Club Brugge.
The bid was great, but it ‘clashed with the will of the 21-year-old’.
