Leeds United’s push to secure a reversal of fortunes in the upcoming 2022-23 Premier League season has taken a hit as the Whites have been rebuffed in their pursuit of Belgian international midfielder Charles De Ketelaere.
According to reports in Belgian outlet HLN Sport, the 21-year-old Bruges-native has rejected a chance to join Jesse Marsch’s Leeds rebuild this summer despite the club offering ~£30million (€35million) for his services.
🚨 Charles De Ketelaere is not interested in a move to Leeds United despite the Premier League side making an offer worth €35m in total.
The player has held talks with AC Milan and wants to join the Serie A champions.
(Source: @hlnsport) pic.twitter.com/NtOBoFK0Ds
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 6, 2022
The one-club youngster was one of the leading lights for Club Brugge in 2021-22, scoring 18-goals in a combined 49-appearances for Blauw-Zwart, which has garnered considerable interest in him this summer.
But De Ketelaere has his heart set on a move to Serie A giants AC Milan as the holding champions look for their own squad retooling under Paolo Maldini.
Leeds has tackled the summer market rather well despite the latest setback, however, with deals for RB Salzburg duo Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, Bayern Munich midfielder Marc Roca, and Manchester City U23 youngster Darko Gyabi all in the door at Elland Road.
The Whites have approached the market aggressively and early on with the expected sale of Kalvin Phillips coming true after the England international sealed a move to Man City, while star winger Raphinha is also expected to leave Yorkshire as Barcelona and Chelsea fight it out over the Brazilian winger.
Despite losses to key personnel this summer, Leeds supporters can move into the upcoming Premier League season with confidence as Jesse Marsch continues to build out the squad in his image on the back of some credible outings early in his tenure at the back end of last season.
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