Alexandre Braeckman has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Charles De Ketelaere.
What’s the talk?
In a recent post on Twitter, the Belgium RTL journalist revealed that, following recent reports suggesting that AC Milan were set to up their initial bid for the Club Brugge KV forward, an offer of €30m (£24m) plus Andreas Kristoffer Jungdal and Emil Roback has now been lodged by the Serie A side – with the Jupiler Pro League said to be considering the proposal.
This is sure to come as a huge blow to Victor Orta and Leeds, as the Spaniard is reported to have made his own bid totalling €37m (£31m) for the 21-year-old, however, the Belgium international is now thought to have his heart set on a move to the San Siro this summer.
In his tweet, Braeckman said: “The point at the end of the day on the Charles De Ketelaere file: The second offer (€30m with Jungdal and Roback) has arrived. Brugge are analysing it. Verbal agreement for a 5-year contract. Milan wants to accelerate and conclude quickly.”
Orta will be fuming
Considering the fact that Leeds’ reported offer for De Ketelaere is considerable higher than Milan’s, in addition to the forward very much apperaing to be an incredibly exciting prospect, Braeckman’s latest update is sure to be news that will have left Orta fuming.
Indeed, over his 39 Jupiler Pro League appearances last season, the £27m-rated talent was in breathtaking form, scoring 14 goals, registering nine assists and creating 16 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.8 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles per fixture.
These metrics saw the £17k-per-week attacker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.25, not only ranking him as Alfred Schreuder’s fourth-best player in the league but also as the 13th-best in the division as a whole.
Furthermore, De Ketelaere also highly impressed over his six Champions League outings last time out, providing one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.8 key passes and completing one dribble per fixture.
These returns saw the 21-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.98, ranking him as Brugge’s second-best performer in the tournament – a rather extraordinary feat considering the Blauw-Zwart were in a group alongside Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.
As such, it is clear to see just how talented a prospect the Belgian sensation is, leading us to believe that Milan’s seemingly imminent capture of the eight-cap international will come as a gutting blow to Orta and his transfer team at Elland Road.
AND in other news: Insider reveals not “widely known” transfer update, it’s a “£30m” blow for Leeds