Blow for Leeds United as they suffer rejection in the pursuit of Belgian sensation Charles De Ketelaere.
According to RTL Sport, Premier League side Leeds United have suffered dejection in their pursuit of Club Brugge star Charles De Ketelaere in the ongoing summer transfer window.
The 21-year-old Belgian international is one of the finest young players in Europe and continues to make a name for himself in the Jupiler Pro League. He has already established himself as one of the best in Belgium and is now ready to take his talents elsewhere.
A move to Yorkshire however appears to be out of the question. Jesse Marsch’s side made a bid for the youngster’s services but have found little joy. The Elland Road outfit did possess a concrete interest in De Ketelaere but will now have to look elsewhere to bolster their midfield roster.
Landing a player of the 21-year-old’s qualities would have given Leeds a creative tour de force to pull the strings in attacking midfield. They currently lack a player with the Belgian’s skill set- a player who can thread through passes and split open opposition defences with ease.
It promises to be a pivotal summer at Elland Road with several key players set to leave. Manchester City have reached an agreement with Leeds ace midfielder Kalvin Phillips while Raphinha’s future lies elsewhere as well, amid strong interest from Barcelona and Arsenal. Replacing such key players will not be easy and the Whites have a real task on their hands.
De Ketelaere is a player with a bright future and could turn into one of Europe’s leading attacking midfielders in a few years’ time. Landing him would have been nothing short of a coup for the Elland Road outfit but their pursuit of the 21-year-old Belgian international has now come to a rather premature end.
This could pave the way for Leicester City and AC Milan to cast their net and sign De Ketelaere. Both clubs are also interested in the Belgian and it remains to be seen if either side will launch a serious campaign to land the player in the coming weeks.
With their summer transfer activity now having taken a blow, it remains to be seen how Leeds regroup and what alternatives they will approach.
