Leeds have received a major blow after their star star Raphinha reached an agreement in principle to join the giants of the Barcelona League. But the Yorkshire club are already looking to spend their transfer kitten from Raphinha after having submitted a record club offer to sign Club Brugge striker Charles de Ketelaere.
De Ketelaere has impressed in Belgium since joining the Bruges first team three years ago. The 21-year-old has helped his current employers win the Belgian league in each of the last three seasons as the team has dominated its national competition.
Brugge’s success at home has given De Ketelaere a chance to shine on the big stage in recent seasons, with the ace striking for his performances in the Champions League. Last season, the youngster faced Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in Group A of the competition, although Brugge eventually finished second after losing four of their six matches.
De Ketelaere has won a number of personal recognitions in his homeland and has won eight matches with Belgium. And, according to Calciomercato, Leeds have offered Brugge £ 31.3 million for the ace.
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But the player has not yet accepted his move to England and could instead decide to head to Serie A after AC Milan presented him with a second offer. The Italian giants are said to be in pole position to sign the star and hope to close the deal soon.
This means that Leeds could soon be forced to return to the drawing board in their attempts to replace Raphinha. The Brazilian international posted a video on Barcelona’s Twitter page on Wednesday, dressed in an official polo shirt of the Spanish club. “Hello, Culers,” said the ace in Spanish. “This is Raphinha and I’m in Barcelona.”