One of the biggest transfer sagas of this summer is over. The Belgian telenovela with Charles De Ketelaere in the lead role had a happy ending – both from the point of view of the champions of Italy, and from the perspective of Club Brugge, who pushed through the plan to the end. San Siro will be home to Club Brugge’s most promising footballer in the coming years, and he has signed a contract until 2027.Official Statement: Charles De Ketelaere ➡️ https://t.co/VtKTmMciAoComunicato Ufficiale: Charles De Ketelaere ➡️ https://t.co/X3dTU6aXhp#ReadyToLeaveAMark #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/17kFVVPheF— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 2, 2022 Since the beginning of June, Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara have targeted Charles De Ketelaere as their primary target, a player essential for their campaign to defend the title. However, as the Italian champion changed owners in the meantime, and the duo at the head of the sports sector received new contracts only 100 minutes before the expiration of the previous ones, so the whole operation dragged on unbearably.Putting all eggs in one basket – and the basket is called De KetelaereThe first days of the transfer window were used by Maldini and Massara to feel the pulse with an offer of 20 million euros, although Club Brugge made it clear that the minimum they would agree to is 35. Leeds, which immediately offered the requested sum, and even a million more, fell out of the game because De Ketelaere planned a move to one of the biggest clubs in Europe. He wanted to wear the red and black jersey so much that in the end he personally insisted that his salary should be reduced from the agreed 2,7 million euros to 2,2, just so that Milan would offer more money to the Belgian champion.Ronaldo is looking for Kenyan boy Origi to deliver goals in another Scudetto raceThe evolution of Milan’s offers could hardly be followed, they offered the Rossoneri 30 million including bonuses, and then bit by bit they got closer to the final formula. Great optimism in the Milan camp was visible, but the deal was dragging on and on. In the end, Bruges got their wish – he got 32 million fixed, 3 million through bonuses and most Italian media write 12.5 percent of the money from the next sale. Usually the percentages are rounded to 10, 20, 30 percent, sometimes they go to 15, 25, and the fact that Milan boxed out 12.5 speaks of the readiness of the sports sector of Milan to recklessly bargain and lower costs.“Juve and Inter favorites? They said so last year but…”The numbers from the Belgium midfielder (18 goals, 10 assists last season) suggest that De Ketelaere could become a baby-faced ‘killer’ in Serie A. Time will tell whether he will develop to the level of Kaka or, say, Kevin De Bruyne. In any case, Milan finally has the position of offensive midfielder filled, which it has been trying to fill for years with various players who failed to deliver quality performances, worthy of Milan’s reputation. With a fixed price of 32 million, Charles De Ketelaere is already among the 10 most expensive purchases in the history of the club.
