Leeds United FC have reportedly made a club-record transfer offer to sign Charles de Ketelaere despite reports that the Whites had given up on trying to bring the Belgian to Elland Road.
According to CalcioMercato, Jesse Marsch’s side have launched a €37m (£31m) offer to sign De Ketelaere, a fee that eclipses the club-record fee Leeds paid earlier in the window to sign RB Salzburg star Brenden Aaronson as per Transfermarkt, with the Whites set to confirm the sale of Raphinha to FC Barcelona at some point this week.
Leeds were reportedly thought to be done with chasing De Ketelaere with AC Milan establishing their lead in the race to sign the Club Brugge superstar, however, the Whites have now reignited their interest in the attacker in a big way, much to the dismay of the Italian champions.
Whilst the Yorkshire giants have already landed both Aaronson and Luis Sinisterra from Feyenoord, it appears that Marsch wants more in the attacking area with Raphinha set to depart for Catalonia, and De Ketelaere would be an exciting arrival for Leeds if they can still beat Milan to the youngster’s signature.
The versatile attacker was labelled as ‘generational’ by the Italian media earlier in the year, and with Leeds now launching a club-record bid to sign De Ketelaere, the Whites are making a serious sign of intent this summer after losing two of their key players in Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.
Indeed, Leeds’ colossal bid for De Ketelaere will excite fans, but as per the report, Milan are still in the race to sign the 21-year-old, and the UEFA Champions League giants could still pull many tricks out of their sleeves to land the Belgian international this summer.
Leeds could have to do more if they’re to sign De Ketelaere
De Ketelaere has been one of the most talked about players in the European transfer market this summer, and Leeds winning the race for the forward could be a possibility following this news of a club-record offer. However, the Whites still have more work to do if they’re to sign the Brugge superstar.
Indeed, Milan will not rest easily on De Ketelaere after losing out on other targets this summer to Premier League clubs, and missing out on the attacker to a side who just about avoided relegation last season would sting for the Serie A champions, which could push them hard to sign the 21-year-old.
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