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Leeds United: Whites ‘monitoring’ Charles De Ketelaere
Leeds United are lining up a move for Club Brugge attacking midfielder Charles De Ketelaere, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The lowdown: Mercurial talent
Fiercely linked to Leicester City previously, De Ketelaere has certainly caught the eye since stepping away from a potentially bright tennis career to concentrate on football.
Born in Brugge, the 21-year-old made a rapid ascent through the academy ranks to make 120 first-team appearances for the Jupiler Pro League side and is already a recognised senior international.
Perennially indexed with a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs with AC Milan, Tottenham and Manchester City all admirers, Leeds could be about to usurp the competition…
The latest: In the running
Taking to Twitter, reputable journalist Romano has claimed that Victor Orta and Co are now ‘monitoring’ the eight-cap Belgium star ahead of potentially losing Raphinha this summer.
“Excl: Leeds are monitoring Bruges star Charles De Ketelaere as one of the options in the list, as Raphinha could leave for £65m.
“AC Milan are also interested in De Ketelaere since long time, part of the list. Leeds list also includes Cody Gakpo but not advanced/close.”
The verdict: Make it happen
Equally adept operating as a false nine, on either wing, at centre forward and in deeper positions, De Ketelaere offers extraordinary versatility that would act as a huge boost to Jesse Marsch’s attacking options at Elland Road regardless of Raphinha’s fate.
Last season, the cultured attacker scored a remarkable 18 goals and provided ten assists in 49 appearances across all competitions, earning a 7.25 Sofascore rating whilst winning 5.4 duels, making 1.8 key passes and taking 2.0 shots on average per match, highlighting a well-rounded game both in terms of attacking and defensive prowess.
Sharing a stylistic likeness with illustrious names like Antoine Griezmann, Alexandre Lacazette and Kevin Volland (Fbref), the talented Belgian youngster truly is a generational talent – he was even tipped to be ‘Kevin De Bruyne’s heir’ by European football writer Michael Yokhin.
