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Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere reveals PSG talks
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- Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere reveals PSG talks
Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere reveals PSG talks
It is safe to say that Charles De Ketelaere has found his feet in Italy after a forgetful season at Milan , whom he had joined amid much fanfare.
After failing to score a single goal for the Rossoneri in 40 appearances, the Beglian forward moved to Atalanta , where he has resuscitated his career. In 148 appearances, he has registered 32 goals and assists each, firmly establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in the league.
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However, he has yet ambitions La Dea cannot match. Currently on international duty with Belgium , the 25-year-old recently sat down with La Derniere Heure for an interview in which he revealed that there was interest in his from outside of Italy, but few teams were willing to match Atalanta's asking price.
"There were interested teams, but when you see the costs of transfers in the current market, it's not always easy to leave. I know Atalanta were asking a lot, I think the figure was around 50 million euros. But you have to find a team that can afford it. In the Premier League, several teams can, but it hasn't happened"
De Ketelaere also name-dropped Paris Saint-Germain, whom he claimed to have spoken to over the summer before they chose to go with a different player.
"I'm happy at Atalanta. I know how important it is to be a regular starter, since my time at Milan. I'd like to fight for the titles one day. I have this ambition, but I'm 25 and I still have time."
De Ketelaere is contracted to remain in Bergamo until June 2028. His Atalanta contract fetches him a gross annual salary of €3.21 million.
A matter of time
It is not particularly revelatory that a player of De Ketelaere's age and profile has been attracting interest from club with a bigger profile than that of Atalanta, though it's safe to say the club management won't be happy that he opted to discuss this in public.
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PSG's interest makes sense. They were looking for a reliable forward to who could operate both through the middle and out wide. They may yet come back for the Belgian next summer.
For now, Atalnata clearly have on their hands a player who is eyeing a move, and given that his contract runs out in two years, they'll need to move him next summer. If their start to the season under Maurizio Sarri is anything to go by however, they may struggle to get a transfer fee close to the €50m mark suggested by De Ketelaere.
Anshuman Joshi | GIFN
