Newcastle United and Tottenham face more competition this summer for the signing of Belgian talent Charles de Ketelaere, with Lazio now in the race for the youngster.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Maurizio Sarri’s side are huge fans of the Club Brugge star, with the former Chelsea manager eyeing the attacker as a potential replacement for Luis Alberto this summer.
The Italian coach has had a rough first season in Rome with Lazio, and the upcoming transfer window could see numerous key players leave the Serie A side to raise funds for a major squad rebuild, with De Ketelaere identified as a priority target.
Lazio aren’t alone in their interest in De Ketelaere, though. As reported by CalcioMercato and Voetbal Nieuws, both Newcastle and Tottenham are interested in the 21-year-old talent, who this season has been the breakthrough player in the Belgian top-flight.
The versatile attacker has bagged 17 goals and nine assists in all competition for Brugge, and with a reported price tag of €40m (£34m), De Ketelaere could be on the move this summer with interest high in the Red Devils international.
Indeed, with Lazio now in the race for De Ketelaere, Newcastle and Tottenham could have their work cut out for them this summer, with regular football in Serie A an alluring prospect for a player looking to break into a top-five league this year.
Newcastle and Tottenham could lose De Ketelaere race to Lazio
Hailed as a ‘generational talent’ by TuttoMercatoWeb, De Ketelaere’s future is a hard one to predict this summer, yet given Lazio’s urge to sign the youngster over Newcastle and Tottenham, there’s a strong chance the youngster will head to the Eternal City this year.
After all, Lazio are keen to sign De Ketelaere as a replacement for one of their key players in Alberto, and whilst Newcastle and Tottenham are interested in the 21-year-old, the recent lack of reports could suggest that their eagerness to sign the forward has died down.
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