We are now in the crucial phase regarding the future of Charles De Ketelaere and the meeting that took place today in Lugano between the management of Milan and Club Brugge did not lead to a substantial update.
According to the information we have via our colleagues at SempreMilan.it, Club Brugge are remaining firm in their demands of €35m fixed with Leeds United having presented an offer of €37m, but the player wants to join the Rossoneri.
The call
Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara know that having reached this point in the negotiation and with such a small margin between offer and demand, consistent hesitation could be fatal.
A call is therefore expected in the next few hours between Maldini, Massara and CEO Ivan Gazidis in order to update the owners Elliott Management and ask for a possible further economic effort to conclude the deal.
Elliott’s reservations
To date, Elliott Management have not expressed any particular desire to increase the budget made available to the management for the market given that the closing over the takeover by RedBird Capital is scheduled for September.
Maldini will try to play the last card which is to get more money from the American hedge fund, but otherwise the negotiation with Brugge for De Ketelaere could well be definitively over.
The main alternative
To protect themselves in the event CDK does not come, Milan have been working with Chelsea for Hakim Ziyech in recent weeks. The parties seem to have reached an agreement on the basis of a fee of €10m, but the obstacle of the Moroccan’s €6m net per season salary must be overcome.
