Leeds handed boost as UCL giant see £17m bid for Marsch target rejected

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AC Milan have had an opening offer rejected by Club Brugge for star attacker Charles De Ketelaere, with Leeds United also interested in signing the Belgian international.

According to CalcioMercato, the Serie A champions have had their first bid for the 21-year-old attacker turned down by the Belgian giants, with Milan making a €20m (£17m) bid for De Ketelaere despite Brugge setting an asking price of €30m (£26m).

As per the report, Milan have not been put off by their pursuit of De Ketelaere and will likely come back soon to make a second bid for the youngster, though other European clubs could now catch up with the Italian giants, namely Leeds, who are also looking to sign the forward.

Reports have recently suggested that Jesse Marsch is willing to pay a club-record fee to sign the Brugge star, with Leeds currently close to sign Tyler Adams from RB Leipzig and Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord following the sale of Kalvin Phillips and the pending departure of Raphinha.

Indeed, De Ketelaere would be an incredible addition for Leeds this summer and will give the Yorkshire side some much-needed firepower and creative output following the sale of Raphinha, but Milan’s strong interest in signing the Belgian could be a problem for the Whites.

Hailed as a ‘generational’ talent, De Ketelaere is viewed by many as Belgium’s next big talent, and for Leeds, Milan’s interest in the 21-year-old and their eagerness to sign the versatile forward could be a huge problem for Marsch, who will be eager to land the Brugge star this summer.

Milan won’t give up on signing De Ketelaere just yet

After winning Serie A, Milan will be looking to improve their squad for next season and aim to do better in Europe in the UEFA Champions League, and signing De Ketelaere will be a great step in the right direction, much to the dismay of Leeds.

After all, the Whites would become a much stronger side with De Ketelaere amongst their ranks, but with Milan not giving up hope just yet on the 21-year-old, Leeds could soon struggle to convince the forward to move to Elland Road with the San Siro side aiming to come back again for the attacker.