Atalanta complete permanent De Ketelaere signing from Milan
Milan and Charles De Ketelaere have parted ways as the Belgian forward joins Atalanta on a long-term deal for the Serie A side.
Charles De Ketelaere has completed his move from Milan to Atalanta after the Europa League champions signed the Belgian on a permanent deal.
Atalanta confirmed the transfer on Saturday after activating a buy option included in the 23-year-old's loan deal, with De Ketelaere joining in a reported move worth up to €24million.
De Ketelaere failed to impress in his debut season in Italy after joining the Rossoneri from Club Brugge, but found form after a season-long loan deal to Bergamo in the 2023-24 campaign.
The forward helped Gian Piero Gasperini's side to a top-four finish in Serie A, as well as lifting the Europa League trophy for Atalanta's first-ever success on the European stage.
Only Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca (both 26) provided more direct goal contributions across all competitions than De Ketelaere's 25 last term.
Gasperini unlocked a side to the former Milan man that the Rossoneri failed to find, too, with De Ketelaere creating more open-play chances (78) than any other team-mate across all competitions.
That form has brought a permanent reward for De Ketelaere, who is preparing for Euro 2024 with Belgium in Germany, where the Red Devils will face Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine in Group E.
