Arsenal and Newcastle enquired about De Ketelaere before Milan move

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Arsenal and Newcastle were amongst the sides who enquired about Charles De Ketelaere before the forward’s move to AC Milan, his agents have told HLN (via Calciomercato).

De Ketelaere completed his move to the Serie A title-holders this week. It comes after weeks of speculation linking the Belgian with a move to the Premier League.

The side most heavily invested in bringing him to England seemed to be Leeds. Reports claimed that the Whites could break their club-record on the 21-year-old. And they did make a £34 million bid.

However, Jesse Marsch’s men were not the only English team to miss out. His agents Tom De Mul and Yama Sharifi provided an insight into just how many teams asked about the youngster this summer. And amongst those mentioned were the Gunners and the Magpies.

“Milan already followed him from his youth, but the first contacts date back to two years. At the time they thought Charles was a great talent, but they wanted a player who could get there right away. They took the time to assess how good he could become,” they told HLN.

“Maldini and Massara in the meantime asked us questions of all kinds. What kind of person is he? How is this guy? Not only them, many clubs have inquired: West Ham, Newcastle, Arsenal. Those clubs didn’t push 100%.

“Arsenal took Gabriel Jesus, who had already proven himself in the Premier League. Barcelona also followed him for a long time, but we thought it wasn’t the right move.”

Arsenal and Newcastle enquired about De Ketelaere

The levels of interest highlight what a coup it would have been had Leeds managed to sign De Ketelaere. Obviously, it became clear that a move to San Siro was his priority. But the Whites clearly felt for some time that they had a chance of a deal.

Newcastle fans will likely be a lot more disappointed with the news than Arsenal supporters. As De Ketelaere’s agents note, the Gunners went on to sign Gabriel Jesus.

If the window shut tomorrow, Mikel Arteta’s squad would be in a good position up front. Newcastle meanwhile, are relying on a lot more luck when it comes to injuries.

They are yet to add an attacking player in this window. And for many, De Ketelaere may have been an ideal signing.