Serie A giants ‘want to sell’ former Leeds United transfer target to Newcastle United

AC Milan are reportedly preparing to offload Belgian forward Charles de Ketelaere - and the Serie A giants are said to have indentified Newcastle United as a possible buyer.

The former Club Brugge prospect forged a fearsome reputation for himself after scoring 25 goals and providing 20 assists in 120 appearances for the Jupiler League side to earn a first senior international call-up and come to the attention of several big-name clubs around Europe.

Newcastle were linked with a move for De Ketelaere during the summer transfer window as they looked to boost their forward options and Leeds United were also mentioned as a possible Premier League destination for the 21-year-old.

However, it was AC Milan that won the race for his services as he completed a £25m move to the San Siro. The forward has struggled to make an impact in Serie A, failing to find the net for his new club and providing just one assist in 26 appearances in all competitions so far this season.

De Ketelaere appeared as a substitute in Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur as the Italian side took a narrow advantage in their Champions League round-of-16 tie and he received praise from Milan manager Stefano Pioli in the aftermath of the game.

He told Sky Italia: “He needed more time than we thought to settle in and understand a new environment. He is better physically and mentally. Of course, I hoped for the goal and especially for him. I told him he would score when he came in. He works well, and the goal will come. He will find space and give us satisfaction.”

Despite that praise, Italian outlet CalcioMercatoWeb have claimed Milan are ‘convinced’ they will have to part ways with De Ketelaere this summer as he continues to struggle and have claimed the forward has ‘not lived up to expectations at all’.

The report states Newcastle will be offered the chance to sign the Belgian for a similar fee to the one that took him to Milan last summer and would be keen on a deal as they ‘invest a lot’ in young players.