Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly registered their interest in signing Atalanta star Charles De Ketelaere, as per Caught Offside.
After being impressed by the 23-year-old’s displays for Club Brugge, AC Milan opted to sign him by splashing a sizable amount of money. However, upon moving to San Siro Stadium, the Belgian struggled to settle down in his new surroundings.
So, the Rossoneri decided to let him leave the club on a loan deal last year before selling him permanently to Atalanta at the start of this season.
De Ketelaere has revived his career under Gian Pierro Gasperini’s guidance. He enjoyed a stellar campaign at Gewiss Stadium last term, scoring 10 goals and registering eight assists in 35 Serie A appearances. Moreover, he helped his side win the Europa League title.
De Ketelaere has also enjoyed a promising start to this season and it appears having been impressed by the Belgian’s recent performances, big Premier League clubs have started lining up for him.
Battle
Caught Offside states that Arsenal have been keeping a close eye on the 23-year-old and Mikel Arteta is a big admirer of him. Moreover, the Gunners are already planning to step up their efforts to lure him to the Emirates Stadium next year.
However, the report says Tottenham Hotspur are also in this race, additionally, Manchester City, West Ham United and Newcastle United are plotting a swoop for him as well.
La Dea don’t want to let their star man leave having recently purchased him. So, Arsenal or Tottenham will have to make a lucrative proposal to persuade the Italian club to cash-in should they formalise their interest.
De Ketelaere is comfortable playing as a false nine and attacking midfielder. Arsenal lack depth in the number ten position as after Martin Odegaard they don’t have a specialist attacking midfielder following Fabio Vieira’s loan move to FC Porto.
On the other hand, Spurs have James Maddison as the first-choice number ten and they don’t have any other options to deploy in this area. Although Dejan Kulusevski can provide cover in this position, he is more comfortable playing out wide.
So, both Arsenal and Tottenham could do with signing a new CAM and De Ketelaere, valued at around £28m by Transfermarkt, could be a shrewd acquisition if either club purchase him next year.
