Revealed, How Italian Side Missed Out On Moises Caicedo As Charles De Ketelaere Nears Atalanta Switch
Written By Onyeka Daniel
Chelsea completed the signing of Ecuadorian midfielder, Moises Caicedo from Brighton for over £100m transfer fee after a protracted transfer, that saw Liverpool outbid the Blues for the player initially, but the 21yrs decided to snub the Reds, which prompted Chelsea to increase their bid and clinch his signing.
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In a transfer that failed to happen, Caicedo might have been playing his football with Italian side, AC Milan as the Rossoneri were close to signing him before his move to Brighton. Chelsea broke the Premier League transfer record by paying €134m for Caicedo, but Milan passed on him for €2m only three years ago.
According to a report from Italy, it could’ve all been so very different for the 21-year-old. Milan and their scouting network had spotted Caicedo’s talent when he was still in Ecuador with Independiente in the summer of 2020.
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However, the €2m asking price was considered excessive for someone so young and untested, so they opted to wait. In February 2021, Caicedo moved to the Premier League, with Brighton and Hove Albion snapping him up for €28.2m. He was then sent out on loan to Beerschot in the Belgian League and returned in winter of 2022.
He impressed enough in the Premier League with Graham Potter and also under Potter’s successor, Roberto De Zerbi to earn this record transfer to Chelsea. The Rossoneri will be left ruing their luck, but they’re about to make sure another talent doesn’t slip through this time around.
The Rossoneri are close to signing Marco Pellegrino from Club Atletico Platense and the president of the Argentine club is even reportedly due in Italy. Talks between the two clubs are underway and Platense president Sebastián Ordóñez is due to catch a flight to Italy to close the agreement.
Ordóñez himself is carrying out the negotiations and could meet with Antonio D’Ottavio, Milan’s sporting director, in the next few hours to advance the talks. Platense are looking to keep a percentage of future resale as part of the deal, while the Rossoneri would pay around €5m for the signing of the 21-year-old, which is equal to his release clause.
The report claims that Pellegrino is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the Argentine league and he will fight for a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, given the amount of U23 players needed. Due to the fact he has Italian citizenship, Pellegrino would not occupy a non-EU spot for Milan either. So far he has made 17 appearances for Platense’s senior team, scoring one goal.
Meanwhile…
Belgian winger, Charles De Ketelaere has arrived at Milan‘s La Madonnina clinic to undergo his medical with Atalanta ahead of a loan move. The 22yrs old failed to impress in his first season at Milan.
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He didn’t score a goal in 40 competitive appearances, but Atalanta have offered him a chance for redemption. He is currently undergoing his medical with before completing an initial loan move with an option to buy for circa €22m, a loss for Milan, considering the fact that they signed him from Club Brugge for €35m at the start of last season.
He’s part of Atalanta’s plan to rejuvenate their attack after selling Rasmus Hojlund to Manchester United while Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata are also expected to leave the club. They’ve already signed El Bilal Toure from Almeria and De Ketelaere will join the La Dea attack for the 2023/24 season.
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