MN: Scouting reports, stand-offs and signing – the background on De Ketelaere’s Milan move

By Oliver Fisher -

AC Milan have completed arguably the coup of the summer so far in Serie A as they managed to sign Charles De Ketelaere from Club Brugge for a fee of €32m plus bonuses.

De Ketelaere’s transfer to Milan was officially announced on Tuesday with the statement from the Rossoneri, but what were the steps of this very long negotiation? MilanNews reports how the agents of the player – Tom De Mul and Yama Sharifi – have shed some light.

Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara had followed him since he was in the youth sector at Club Brugge, but due to various reasons there was never a concrete attempt to sign him, and after his explosion with the Belgian side last season (28 goal contributions) it became more difficult.

The likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Arsenal and even Barcelona ‘have been following him for some time’ as per his agents, and they also confirmed that Leeds United offered €40m. However, the player only wanted Milan and he was happy to wait for a period of time.

Maldini was in talks of his own contract extension, while De Mul admitted that ‘the agreement seemed dead’ at one point, adding that ‘after the meeting in Belgium, the clubs did not want to talk to each other’. However, the meeting in Lugano was what unlocked the situation again, and the player’s will was key.

Tags AC Milan Charles De Ketelaere
Serie A Standings

Live football scores . Current table, fixtures & results.