Club Brugge star Charles de Ketelaere has admitted he is not keen on a move to Newcastle United after asking former Sunderland stopper Simon Mignolet for advice on the city. The 21-year-old is making waves across Europe with his performances in Belgium and has been tentatively linked with a move to the Magpies this summer.
Newcastle chiefs have started to draw up plans for the upcoming transfer window. But if club scouts did have De Ketelaere on their radar, they may have to rethink after he spoke with fellow countryman and ex-Black Cats goalkeeper Mignolet about a move to the north east.
“The Premier League is the highest you can go. That intensity too. In England, you become a better player. But I want to leave everything open," he said recently while discussing a move away from Club Brugge.
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“My girlfriend, Jozefien, must be able to continue her studies in dentistry in a good way. Mignolet once told me that there’s not much to do in Newcastle. And that in winter, it’s dark as early as four o’clock."
Newcastle fans will no doubt plan to bombard De Ketelaere with stunning photos of the north east should transfer links hot up. But there will be no shortage of suitors for the striker's signature in the coming months.
The Belgian has netted 13 league goals this term and started in all six of Club Brugge's Champions League group games, including a win over RB Leipzig, a draw with PSG and two clashes against Manchester City.
Speaking about his future, De Ketelaere seems intent on leaving his current club in the summer. "If I stay at Club one more season, I don't think I'll be in the starting line-up in Qatar," he admitted recently.
Newcastle are just one of many clubs who have been linked with the youngster in recent weeks, with Leicester, AC Milan and Napoli all said to be chasing the dynamic forward ahead of the summer.
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