He was supposed to be a star reinforcement, instead he didn’t score a single goal! AC Milan are trying to sell the tragic Belgian, they already have a bidder

A man from whom the AC Milan management definitely expected more. Much more. Charles de Ketelaere was considered one of the greatest talents in Belgian football before last summer’s transfer window. However, after a tragic season at the San Siro, he is ripe for an exit, which is what the Rossoneri are currently trying to do.

As one of the biggest talents in Belgian football, Charles de Ketelaere transferred to AC Milan last August. From Bruges for 35 and a half million euros.

After the necessary acclimatisation, everyone expected the 22-year-old Belgian to perform well in the red and black jersey. But even after one full season in Milan, nothing like that happened.

De Ketelaere has not scored a single goal in 32 league games, notching only one successful assist. And that’s punishingly little for a player that the Italian big club came out for such a sum.

The fact remains that the Belgian league is not as competitive as the leading European competitions. And it has happened more than once in the history of transfers, not only on the Belgium-Milan route, that players from Belgium simply needed more time to play.

And it should also be noted that AC coach Stefano Pioli deployed the Bruges native more in the quarterback position.

The young offensive midfielder had 1,100 minutes at his disposal, and apart from the tragic statistics, he also lost a large number of personal duels and couldn’t seem to get into the right rhythm with his teammates.

De Ketelaere to PSV?

So the question for the American management of the Italian giant is whether to give the young midfielder one more chance or try to sell him for the highest possible price.

And as the aforementioned Calciomercato reports, the Rossoneri have opted for the latter. De Ketelaere has one suitor in the Netherlands, specifically PSV would like to use his services.

For the second unit of the last Eredivisie season, the Belgian would act as a replacement for Xavi Simons, who is set to return to PSG this summer. But the problem is the price tag of last year’s reinforcement.

AC want to sell the Belgian offensive midfielder for a similar amount to what they brought him in for last August. The previous transfer record for PSV is the purchase at the start of the 2000/01 season.

Back then, a young Serbian talent – Mateja Kežman – came to Eindhoven for €14 million. The Dutch club reportedly offered Milan a guest appearance with an option.

De Ketelaere is the right man for PSV in terms of playing style and age. However, such an option is not ideal for the Rossoneri. So the situation regarding the Bruges native is still open and will be interesting to follow.

Sources: Calciomercato, Transfermarkt