Leeds United are now said to be convinced that they can sign Charles De Ketelaere, if AC Milan’s move for him collapses, according to Alexandre Braeckman. The RTL Sports journalist has reported that no new talks are ongoing between Whites and Club Brugges, with the Italian side still needing to close the gap on their offer. Leeds are in the market for a new striker, and are prepared to smash their record in order to sign the Belgian wonder, although he would need convincing personally. Writing on his personal Twitter account, Braeckman shared the latest as the race for De Ketelaere really starts to heat up between the two clubs.
He said only Milan are discussing with the player’s agent, and that Leeds remain confident they can overtake the Italian club if they can’t find a way to close the gap with the English offer. He also added that Leeds are convinced to be able to sign the player if Milan’s deal collapse. But no talks are ongoing right now, the player was clear: Milan is a priority. The €30m + add-ons [£25.3million] offer is still on the table, it wasn’t declined by Bruges. Big If. Leeds are putting a lot of eggs in one basket here, and that could be a big risk.
Everything is indicating that De Ketelaere is not exactly jumping at the chance to move to Elland Road, and his priority does appear to be strongly in favour of AC Milan. The Italian side aren’t exactly cooperating fully though, and are looking to reduce the asking price, something which could backfire given Leeds are ready to pay up full. Should that lead to Brugges becoming impatient and stopping negotiations, De Ketelaere would have a decision to make, either stay in Belgium or come to the Premier League on big money.
Leeds are convinced they have what it takes to get this one over the line if AC Milan are not in the picture, but right now they are, and finding another option would not hurt them. This one still has many twists and turns in it, and hopefully, they go in our favour.