Aston Villa have enjoyed a fruitful transfer window, making a host of high-profile signings.
Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby have all joined Unai Emery’s Villans ranks in recent weeks.
With regards to Diaby, he reportedly rejected a lucrative Saudi Pro League move to join Villa this summer.
That speaks volumes in terms of the Villans’ pull, setup and ambition at present.
However, there will always be those that slip through the net, and Charles De Ketelaere may be one of those.
Gazzetta dello Sport reported in July that the Villans had made a bid to AC Milan for the Belgian forward.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail claimed that Villa had been ‘offered the chance’ to sign De Ketelaere.
However, it looks as though the 22-year-old is closing in on a move to Italian outfit Atalanta instead.
Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Dea and the Rossoneri have struck a deal over the player.
They will reportedly pay a €3million (£2.6million) loan fee with an option to buy for €23million (£20million).
Up next is personal terms. De Ketelaere hasn’t agreed to the move yet, but the Atalanta hierarchy and boss feel they can convince him
Aston Villa would’ve been a good shout for De Ketelaere and vice-versa, without a doubt.
He joined Milan from Club Brugge as one of Belgium’s best young players, and looked like a star of the future.
“His versatility is a huge asset,” Brugge icon Gert Verheyen told Het Nieuwsblad – via Goal.com – about De Ketelaere.
“He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities.”
Admittedly, De Ketelaere struggled in his maiden season at the club, starting just 13 games and failing to score.
That said, he is a young player and that was the first big move of his career, also playing outside his home country for the first time.
He’s a top talent who has what it takes to bounce back. Some players take longer to acclimatise to other leagues and countries.
Perhaps Villa decided not to firm up their interest, or maybe the player didn’t want to give up on Serie A just yet.
It’s not that big of a blow for Villa, who’ve made some great signings, but still he’d have been a good addition to the Villans ranks.
