Newcastle target Charles de Ketelaere eyeing summer move from Brugge
Belgian international Charles de Ketelaere who has been linked with a summer switch to the Premier League has admitted he’s ready to leave Club Brugge.
However, the 21-year-old has delivered bad news to Newcastle United fans after admitting he isn’t keen on a move to Tyneside.
After asking former Sunderland goalkeeper and compatriot Simone Mignolet for his thoughts on a potential move to St James’ Park, Mignolet has advised the youngster against making the big-money move to the Black Cats fierce rivals.
“The Premier League is the highest you can go. That intensity too. In England, you become a better player. But I want to leave everything open,” de Ketelaere recently said while discussing a move away from Club Brugge.
“My girlfriend, Jozefien, must be able to continue her studies in dentistry in a good way. Mignolet once told me that there’s not much to do in Newcastle. And that in winter, it’s dark as early as four o’clock.”
Charles de Ketelaere a man in demand
De Ketelaere’s reputation continues to soar across Europe and he is likely to be a man in demand this summer.
Capable of playing either as a striker or in the number 10 role, the Belgian whizkid has scored 13 league goals and provided seven assists in 31 games for Club Brugge in the Belgian Pro League this season.
The Magpies face competition from the likes of Tottenham, Leicester, Napoli, AC Milan while Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Lazio are also looking to pursue a move for the five-time Belgium international.
With 17 goals and nine assists to his name across all competitions, the talented Belgian started all six of Brugge’s Champions League games which came against RB Leipzig, Paris Saint Germain and Manchester City.
Speaking about his future, De Ketelaere seems intent on leaving his current club in the summer with a place in Roberto Martinez’s World Cup starting line-up on his radar.
De Ketelaere said: “If I stay at Club one more season, I don’t think I’ll be in the starting line-up in Qatar.”
