AC Milan and Juventus could fight it out for several transfer targets this summer, and one of them is Club Brugge’s Maxim De Cuyper.
As Calciomercato.com report, De Cuyper’s current focus will be exclusively on helping Brugge try to win the title. Thanks to a goal by Alessio Castro-Montes, Royale Union Saint-Gilloise won 1-0 against them and overtook them for first place in the Belgian league.
Since the 2009-10 season, the season has been played in two phases. In the first, all 16 teams face each other twice across 30 rounds; in the second the top six teams play for the title, facing each other twice more across 10 games.
The final standings take into account the points collected in both phases, but those from the first part are halved and rounded up if necessary. Now, with five rounds to go, USG have 43 points, one more than the reigning champions.
De Cuyper wants to win the title and then he might leave the Belgian side, with whom he is under contract until June 2028. Club Brugge value him at around €25m amid a season with four goals and seven assists in 47 appearances.
Several clubs are on his trail, including Milan and Juventus, looking for possible heirs to Theo Hernandez and Andrea Cambiaso respectively. In particular, the latter – already wanted by Guardiola’s Manchester City in the winter – is destined to be sold at the end of this season.
I would invest in retaining Theo if the choice is between that or purchasing him.
We have a player with blistering pace and undeniable offensive skill, that combines well with our best player. He has been exhausted and a couple under par seasons due to being overplayed. This kid will need minimum two years to adjust to Italy and we cannot guarantee he will be as good as Theo in the process or develop chemistry with Leao. He is more of a gamble than trusting Theo to find his best levels again. Class is permanent and form is temporary. He has been one of the best in his role for years. Letting him go will be a complete failure.
I agree. Renewing should be priority. You can always sell him next summer (for far bigger money than now) if he can’t find his motivation under the new coach. He just needs to get his head straight.
I think he hit a rut knowing he asked probably for what Leao got, was told it was impossible because of the wage cap so he renewed at a lesser amount to help the club. He fellt lowballed when he didn’t get a raise once Rafa got his deal and never got any back up to support him. We rely on him as much as Rafa and he is in a position with qualities that cannot be replicated at a lesser cost than he requested. Which is fair if him to ask for. He also played more minutes. He will be better. I don’t think we should sell him period if he plays well again. The value he brings is indispensable when he plays his best game.