Charles De Ketelaere’s agents Tom De Mul and Yama Sharifi confirmed that a number of top clubs were interested in their client before he ultimately joined Milan.
The 21-year-old Belgian talent had a great outing with Club Brugge last season, scoring 14 goals and providing seven assists in 33 league appearances. After a long set of negotiations, Milan finally managed to secure his signature, overcoming stiff competition from Leeds United.
Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws, De Mul and Sharifi first discussed the number of European clubs keen on picking up De Ketelaere this summer.
“Not only Milan, many clubs inquired. West Ham, Newcastle, Arsenal. Those clubs didn’t push 100%. Arsenal signed Gabriel Jesus, who had already proven himself in the Premier League.
“Barcelona also followed him for a long time, but we thought it was not the right move. Financially, Leeds would have been the better option. For Bruges, for Charles, for us.
“But Charles wanted to wait a little longer: ‘If there is another option, maybe I can consider whether going to Leeds is the right thing to do.’ When Charles heard that Milan wanted him 100%, things started to change.”
They revealed how long the Rossoneri had been following their client.
“Milan had been following him since his early days, but the first contacts date back two years. At the time they thought Charles was a great talent, but they wanted a player who could come in right away.
“They took their time to assess how good he could become. Maldini and Massara meanwhile asked us all kinds of questions. What kind of person is he? What is this guy?”
The agents reflected on Leeds United’s attempts to sign De Ketelaere before Milan got a deal across the line.
“It was very concrete. Even Charles noticed it. They absolutely wanted him, he would play there every week. Jesse March is a first-rate coach. At one point Charles said he would like to hear from another club, to see if Leeds was the right step.
“He wanted to be able to compare. We phoned Milan: ‘If you really want him, you have to push now. And push well, not half-heartedly.’ Maldini was still busy with his contract, but then he called him.
“Charles also had a good conversation with Pioli and was completely convinced. Only Leeds offered €40m and Milan had a limit. However, Brugge would not sell him for €20m, so Milan had to raise the offer.”
The duo also revealed that the deal was close to collapsing at one point.
“We insisted a bit, showing our aggressive side. At one point the deal seemed dead. After the meeting in Belgium, the clubs no longer wanted to talk to each other.
“Then we went to Lugano. Two superpowers confronted each other and it became a real battle. The outside world cannot understand how difficult it was to resolve such a situation. Tom and I had to decide the strategy. We did everything to make the transfer succeed.”
De Ketelaere’s agents spoke about his reaction after his first day with Milan.
“When we returned to the hotel after our first day at Milan, Charles wanted us to go back to his room and he wanted to hug us both.”
Finally, the pair spoke about the importance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to their client.
“It will be special for Charles, his presence is very positive. Zlatan has taken on the role of mentor at Milan, because he knows the standards and values of the club like no one else.
“And thanks to his career, he has an incredible influence on the team.”