Arsenal
Aston Villa
Chelsea
Crystal Palace
Everton
Fulham
Leeds United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester United
Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest
Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham United
Wolverhampton Wanderers
News
Aston Villa bid for ‘complete’ forward likened to Roberto Firmino
Aston Villa have been heavily linked with Charles De Ketelaere in recent days.
reported on Thursday that the Villans have made a bid to AC Milan for the Belgian forward.
The report suggested that Villa bid around £21.5million, with the Rossoneri reportedly wanting around £25.7million.
Now, the has published a report also linking the Villans with De Ketelaere.
They claim that Villa have been ‘offered the chance’ to sign him in wake of his poor maiden season at Milan.
Apparently, De Ketelaere is among a number of players who Milan will allow to leave the San Siro this summer.
Milan are looking to balance their books and the 22-year-old is reportedly available for about £25million.
Villa have enjoyed an impressive transfer season so far, signing midfielder Youri Tielemans and defender Pau Torres/
Now, Villans boss Unai Emery and transfer chief Monchi are reportedly focusing on improving their attack.
The Villa Park manager and chief apparently have a wide man and a forward high on their transfer wishlist.
‘Huge asset’
De Ketelaere arrived at Milan to much fanfare from Club Brugge a year ago.
He earned rave reviews at the Belgian club, including from Brugge icon Gert Verheyen.
“His versatility is a huge asset,” he told Het Nieuwsblad – via – about De Ketelaere.
“He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities.”
Goal.com also compared the reported Elland Road target to Liverpool and Brazil star Roberto Firmino.
‘A naturally selfless player, De Ketelaere has taken to acting as a ‘false nine’ as if it were a position he has played all his life,’ they wrote.
‘He is tasked with acting as a facilitator for others as well as with scoring goals himself – much like Roberto Firmino at Liverpool – and is thriving.’
Admittedly, De Ketelaere struggled in his maiden season at the club, starting just 13 games and failing to score.
That said, he is a young player and that was the first big move of his career, also playing outside his home country for the first time.
He’s a top talent who has what it takes to bounce back. Some players take longer to acclimatise to other leagues and countries.
Alternatively, maybe a change of scenery could help, and in that case, Villa would be a good place to go.
The Villans are a club on the up, are building a great team, and have a world-class manager in Unai Emery.