Leicester must battle Italian giants AC Milan to secure transfer target

Of course, the question emerges of if Leicester are yet in a position to pay £34m to secure his signing. After being hit heavily by COVID, the club aren’t in the financial position to be able to spend big from the get-go, instead they may have to sell first in order to buy later.

Youri Tielemans is expected to depart the club this summer, with figures of £25m being rumoured for the midfielder. Alongside him, the likes of Ayoze Perez, Caglar Soyuncu and Boubakary Soumare could all be offloaded to generate funds.

Whoever signs De Ketelare is clearly getting a fantastic talent. This season he made 33 league appearances, scoring 14 and assisting 4. He made his senior international debut in 2020 at the age of 19 and has since gone on to earn six further caps for his country, scoring against Italy in the Nations League last year.

This saga is far from over, and it is certainly one to keep your eyes on. Despite their lack of European football, and the fact that the club currently don’t have a head of recruitment, Leicester are very much in the fight. It’s now up to Rodgers – and potentially Timothy Castagne – to sell the project to De Ketelaere if they are to get their man.

This is set to be a drawn-out battle between the two clubs, and I wouldn’t expect a resolution anytime soon. As Braeckman wrote: ‘Get out the popcorn, it’s gonna get interesting’. Stay tuned everyone.