Report: Arsenal and Newcastle keen on 22-year-old Serie A ace

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Belgian midfielder Charles De Ketelaere is currently on loan at Italian club Atalanta.

The 22-year-old playmaker had a difficult season with AC Milan last year failing to get on the score sheet. He has been loaned out to Atalanta so that he can get regular first-team experience and he manages to regain his confidence and form.

Apparently, Atalanta have an option to sign the player permanently at the end of the season for a fee of around €30 million.

Meanwhile, a report from Calciomercato.It claims that Arsenal and Newcastle United keeping tabs on the midfielder as well.

It will be interesting to see if the Premier League clubs decide to come forward with a concrete proposal to sign him in the coming months.

Atalanta could easily look to exercise their option to sign the player permanently and then sell him for a profit if the Premier League clubs are truly interested in signing the player.

Meanwhile, such a development would be beneficial for AC Milan as well. The Italian giants are entitled to 10% of a future resale free.

De Ketelaere was highly rated around Europe when he moved to AC Milan but he has not been able to showcase his qualities on a regular basis with the Rossoneri. The move to Atalanta seems to have given him a confidence boost and the midfielder has already scored twice in two appearances across all competitions.

Charles De Ketelaere in action for AC Milan

The Belgian is quite young and he has plenty of time to continue his development and fulfil his potential in the coming season. He could prove to be a quality long-term acquisition for Newcastle and Arsenal.

The Magpies could certainly use more creativity from the central areas and De Ketelaere could be a good fit for them. Similarly, Arsenal need to add more depth to their midfield and the Belgian would be the ideal understudy to Martin Odegaard.

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