AC Milan legend Dimitrio Albertini believes Charles de Ketelaere can become as good as Toni Kroos or Kevin de Bruyne as the Serie A champions close in on the Leeds United target, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Leeds have offered a club-record £31 million – more than Milan’s offer (Daily Mail). But De Ketelaere’s desire to join a Milan side still basking in the glow of their first Scudetto triumph in over a decade means the Whites appear to be fighting a losing battle.
“In (Stefano) Pioli’s 4-2-3-1, he can play multiple roles,” Albertini explains, before suggesting that De Ketelaere could be at his most effective in a roving role between the strikers and the midfielders.
“He is first and foremost a trequartista. A potential champion, because he is a modern player of international calibre and, at 21 years old, he already has more experience in the Champions League than many players currently at Milan.
“He knows that the project is perfect for him.”
AC Milan to beat Leeds United in Charles de Ketelaere race
Milan snatched the Serie A crown from rivals Inter last term despite boasting one of the youngest squads in the division. Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez, Sandro Tonali, Fikayo Tomori, Pierre Kalulu and Ismael Bennacer are all aged 24 or younger, and Pioli’s superb track record when it comes to turning potential into greatness bodes well for 21-year-old De Ketelaere.
“He has potential to join greats like De Bruyne or Kroos,” Albertini adds, before throwing Zvonimir Boban into the mix.
The Croatian legend won four Serie A titles with Milan in the 1990s.
“In my time, Boban was incredibly modern and had extraordinary qualities. This led him to play as a midfielder, as a winger, as a trequartista, always at a very high level.
“De Ketelaere is totally different from Boban but he is as versatile as he was. In this sense, De Ketelaere can follow in his footsteps.”
The Belgian international provided 18 goals and 10 assists as Club Brugge secured the Jupiler League title in 2021/22.
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