Leeds United are ‘highly serious’ about signing Club Brugge forward Charles De Ketelaere, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.
The Lowdown: De Ketelaere linked with Leeds
The Whites may want a new centre-forward to complete their summer transfer business after signing Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra this week.
Described as ‘complete’ by legendary Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen, De Ketelaere has been heavily linked with an Elland Road move, with Leeds reportedly making an offer in the region of £25.7m.
AC Milan are also working on a deal for the Belgium international, who mainly lined out as a striker for Brugge last season, scoring 18 times to take his tally for club and country to 26.
The Latest: Jacobs’ comments
Talking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs said that ‘De Ketelaere is the other one to watch’ with regard to incomings, claiming that Leeds are ‘highly serious’ over a potential move.
The reporter outlined:
“De Ketelaere is the other one to watch and Leeds are very much serious about bringing on board the Club Brugge forward.
“They’re in competition with Leicester, who are very much circling around the player too.
“I think that it is fair to say Adams’ arrival will turn Leeds’ interest in De Ketelaere into being highly, highly serious as well.”
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The Verdict: Ambitious
De Ketelaere reportedly wants to play Champions League football, something that AC Milan can offer to the forward.
Therefore, Leeds’ continued interest appears to be ambitious, and they may well be fighting a losing battle when it comes to signing the 21-year-old.
They view De Ketelaere as an inside forward or a secondary striker to support Patrick Bamford, but you’d expect that Victor Orta would have alternative attacking targets on his radar.
It’ll be interesting to see how long Leeds pursue De Ketelaere, and with the new season fast approaching, they may be wise to set a deadline before ending their interest and looking elsewhere.