More competition for Chelsea as Leicester City enter the race for Charles de Ketelaere. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)
According to Leicestershire Live, Chelsea have been handed a transfer blow after Leicester City expressed a clear interest to sign Charles de Ketelaere, having scouted him ahead of a potential move next summer. He has been in fine form this season and is one of the best talents in the Club Brugge first-team set-up.
De Ketelaere has quickly earned a name for himself, having become a regular at the club level. He also has gained more prominence as a rotational player with his national team. Naturally, he has attracted attention from elsewhere as a result, with the Blues and Leicester being two of the interested parties.
The Foxes have registered a strong interest in the Belgian after they used Phillippe Pelluault to scout him. Pelluault works under their control, and he is responsible for their assessments in regions like France and Belgium. Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are also in the mix as they look to add the forward to their respective squads.
The 21-year-old has truly developed into a fine player after coming through the ranks at the Club Brugge youth system. Having scored 17 goals alongside nine assists in this campaign from 41 games across all competitions, one could easily see why he is one of the highly-rated attacking prospects in world football right now.
A forward addition would be the last thing that we need unless there is some departure this summer. After all, we have a lot of options in our ranks, but spots could be freed up if Thomas Tuchel gives his approval. Timo Werner, for example, has failed to meet the expectations, and he could be moved out to be replaced by someone like De Ketelaere.
De Ketelaere is a fine choice indeed, considering how he is available for a respectable fee of around £33million. That asking price seems to be a steal, especially when he also has a contract until 2024. Whether the West London side would take advantage of that valuation or not remains to be seen.
We must be wary of the Foxes since they have ramped up their efforts to sign the Belgian midfielder after their assessment. Their stance would not be surprising to those who have witnessed the youngster in action. The 21-year-old also appears ready to take the next step in his career, having impressed in the Champions League this term.
Tottenham and West Ham cannot be taken lightly either, which means that we could potentially be subjected to a bidding war this summer. De Ketelaere is a perfect fit for Tuchel’s fluid attacking style, considering how he is flexible enough to play anywhere upfront. But whether we would sign him or not would only be known in due time.
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