AC Milan are reportedly set to see Atalanta exercise their option to sign Charles De Ketelaere on a permanent transfer this summer.
The 23-year-old joined the Rossoneri in August 2022, but struggled to make an impact as he contributed just one assist and no goals in 40 appearances across all competitions.
READ MORE: How Milan could line up vs Cagliari: Key quartet tipped to be benched
While the Belgian playmaker failed to find form and consistency, he wasn’t helped by the wider issues in our side at that time, as well as not always being utilised in his favoured role.
Conversely, he’s shown his quality at Atalanta having scored 11 goals and provided nine assists in 44 outings since he joined them on a season-long loan deal last summer, and it appears as though De Ketelaere is set to seal a permanent switch to Bergamo.
As reported by MilanNews, Atalanta president Antonio Percassi confirmed their intention to sign De Ketelaere outright on Thursday night, and it’s noted that the deal could be worth an initial €23m, as per the terms of the initial loan agreement, while there could be a further €4m paid in bonuses while Milan also hold a 10 percent sell-on clause.
While it’s out of Milan’s hands now if the option is triggered, it’s disappointing to see such an underwhelming signing move on without leaving any sort of mark at the club given De Ketelaere’s struggles last season following his big-money arrival.
The Rossoneri made an important investment in him as they believed that he could be a pivotal figure for us in the coming years, but unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out that way.
Instead, we’ve done well to recoup as much of our initial outlay as possible, and those funds will hopefully be used to strengthen the squad this summer when Stefano Pioli’s expected exit is confirmed, and his successor arrives.
Milan’s recruitment hasn’t always delivered in recent times, but with the touted changes that are coming at the end of the season, it has to be spot on if we are to improve on this season and become more competitive to return to the fold of being capable of winning major trophies again next year and beyond.
