Manchester United are reportedly interested in Club Brugge’s 21-year-old forward Charles De Ketelaere.
According to Calciomercato, Charles De Ketelaere is on the radar of two Serie A giants in AC Milan and Napoli but has a potential suitor in England as well. Manchester United are keeping tabs on the youngster and could make a move for him in the summer.
The 21-year-old is a Club Brugge youth product and has been with the club since 2008. He was only promoted to the first team in the 2019/20 season and took his time before coming into his own. In his first full season with the club’s senior side, the forward scored once and assisted once in 13 league appearances.
He showed slight improvement in his second league season, making 32 appearances and contributing three goals and four assists. Brugge slowly incorporated De Ketelaere into the first team and are reaping the rewards now.
This season, the youngster, who is versatile enough to play across the attacking line, has scored 18 and assisted nine goals for Brugge in all competitions. He has scored thrice in his last five league appearances and looks set to finish the season strongly. His solid form with the Belgian giants has put quite a few top European sides on alert.
While Milan and Napoli are keeping an eye on the Belgium international, they could have to fight Manchester United for his signature. De Ketelare will have just a year remaining on his Brugge contract after the ongoing season.
Manchester United are in desperate need of a major overhaul in the attacking unit and are planning for a big summer ahead. The Red Devils are set to lose a few of their forwards. While Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial (currently on loan at Sevilla) are expected to depart, the 20-time English champions could also lose Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.
With Mason Greenwood suspended indefinitely and Marcus Rashford struggling for form, Manchester United are eager to add a young, prolific forward to their squad. De Ketelaere fits the bill but putting all the goal-scoring burden on the youngster if he does join would be unfair. The 21-year-old has shown great potential, though, and can be an asset for Manchester United for years to come.
