Newcastle United are reportedly plotting a bid to sign Charles De Ketelaere from AC Milan, with the €30 million-rated Belgian wonderkid already being labeled as a flop.
According to Calciomercatoweb, AC Milan are pressing to offload Charles De Ketelaere to Newcastle in the upcoming transfer window after the Belgian playmaker has struggled at the Serie A club since joining from Club Brugge only last summer, with the Italian giants looking to recoup a fee in the region of €30 million.
It’s a name Leeds fans will be very familiar with, as De Ketelaere was one of their top transfer targets last summer. After a month-long transfer saga, the young Belgian eventually moved to AC Milan for a fee of €32 million which can increase up to €35 million with add-ons and became one of the most expensive transfers in the history of the Milan giants.
The 21-year-old was seen as a promising prospect with enormous potential at the time, but his arrival has been accompanied by a great deal of pressure and expectation, given the hefty price tag that consumed most of the Rossoneri’s transfer budget for the current season.
De Ketelaere’s adjustment from the Belgian top flight to Serie A has been anything but seamless, with the Belgium international having yet to score and recording just one assist from 26 appearances in all competitions.
The youngster struggled to adapt to Stefano Pioli’s tactics, and his performances have been, to say the least, inconsistent. He hasn’t been able to showcase all of his abilities and has struggled to find his footing, only displaying a few flashes of his quality.
The fact that he was expected to deliver instant results hasn’t helped the case either. Now, Milan are reportedly already trying to offload the 21-year-old and may offer him to Newcastle for a cut-price fee of around €30m in the summer, with the Magpies known to be huge admirers of the talented attacking midfielder.
A summer move for De Ketelaere may make a lot of sense to the Newcastle hierarchy. The Toon owners are in the market for young players who can grow and develop with the club, a major factor behind some incredible acquisitions in the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman. And De Ketelaere certainly falls into that category too.
It’s been a sensational campaign for Newcastle United. They currently sit in fourth place in the Premier League and are set to compete for major silverware in the form of the Carabao Cup final later this month.
Their success has mainly been built on a rock-solid defence, and they could do with some creativity in the squad. De Ketelaere mainly plays just behind the striker but can also operate as a forward or out wide, making him a viable option to fill the void left by Chris Wood, who departed for Nottingham Forest this past January.
While he hasn’t enjoyed the best start to life in Italy, he was a prolific goalscorer and assists contributor for Club Brugge, and his potential is evident. He possesses great technical ability, vision, and passing range, and can thrive under the right support mechanism from Newcastle boss Eddie Howe. It remains to be seen whether the former Club Brugge prodigy will be on his way to St. James’ Park this summer.
