Leeds United are monitoring Belgium sensation Charles de Ketelaere ahead of the summer transfer window.
What’s the story?
The 21-year-old – who will surely be keeping an eye on the World Cup draw on Friday afternoon – has been lighting up the Belgian top flight since his breakthrough into the first team at Club Brugge.
TEAMtalk have claimed that, along with Leeds, the likes of fellow Premier League sides Wolves, Newcastle and Brighton have all watched him in action in recent months, while there is also European interest from the likes of Milan and Lyon.
Shades of De Bruyne
Standing at an imposing 6 foot 3, De Ketelaere is extremely unlike what a typical player of his size and height is.
Indeed, with his incredible versatility – he has played in a whopping seven different positions for Brugge this season – and ability to both score and set up goals, there have been some understandable comparisons with one of his Belgium teammates in Kevin De Bruyne.
In a piece done earlier this season for BBC Sport, De Krant van West-Vlaanderen journalist Frans Buyse noted that De Ketelaere has a very similar passing range and ability to dribble than that of the Manchester City star.
He said: “De Ketelaere’s style is reminiscent of De Bruyne. He is intelligent and possesses great vision and a superb passing range. His dribbling is similar to De Bruyne’s too. Eventually, he should take his place for Belgium.”
Meanwhile, iconic Club Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen said: “His versatility is a huge asset. He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities.”
Along with those De Bruyne comparisons, the towering Belgian has even been likened to Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, which underlines his both his hard work off the ball and his tendency for the spectacular.
However, what could most excite Leeds fans is seeing the 21-year-old potentially become their own De Bruyne at Elland Road, especially given the kind of success the City man has enjoyed in his time in Manchester.
With 17 goals and nine assists in 41 games across all competitions this season, De Ketelaere is getting a real footballing education with Brugge, especially with his regular game-time and appearances in the Champions League earlier in the campaign as well.
Leeds could be getting an absolute diamond this summer if they can pull off a deal for the Belgian.
AND in other news – Leeds could unleash Thorp Arch’s breakout star in “fiery” 18 y/o who’s “got an edge”