Serie A Side AC Milan Have Entered The Race To Sign Dortmund Target Konstantinos Karetsas

Borussia Dortmund had identified Greek international Konstantinos Karetsas as a top target to bring in this summer to bolster their attacking options. Karetsas starred for the Belgian side Genk last season, scoring 3 goals but getting 14 assists at just 18 years old for one of the biggest sides in Belgium. It is for this reason that many clubs are pursuing Karetsas's services going into next season. 

It had appeared that Borussia Dortmund were the outright front runners for his signature, with Sporting Director Ole Book pushing heavily to secure the signing of Konstantinos Karetsas as quickly as possible. However, it now seems that there will be a battle for the young Greek superstar as Serie A side AC Milan entered the race to sign him as they look to bounce back from a disappointing previous campaign.

Italian journalist Matteo Moretto has reported that AC Milan's interest is there in Konstantinos Karetsas, and the Italian giants would be willing to sanction the transfer but only if AC Milan winger Rafael Leao departs Italy this summer.

AC Milan sees Konstantinos Karetsas as an ideal replacement for Leao, and they are battling the financial limitations of Serie A as a whole, compared to other major European leagues, with Genk setting a price of €35 million plus add-ons. But AC Milan would only be able to proceed with the deal with the sale of Leao, with Arsenal and Aston Villa reportedly interested in the Portuguese forward.

What is more concerning for Borussia Dortmund is that the same report goes on to state that should AC Milan want him, Karetsas would prioritise a move to Milan over a move to Dortmund, and would be willing to wait for a move to Milan over getting an immediate move to Germany with Borussia Dortmund.

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This is undoubtedly a major blow for Borussia Dortmund and their transfer aims this summer, should this report be true. It seems that Dortmund have been looking at Konstantinos Karetsas for some time and have been putting in significant groundwork to get this deal over the line. But if the player's preference is AC Milan and the Italian side can move on Leao in order to fund the deal, then Dortmund will be pretty helpless in doing anything about it. 

Borussia Dortmund will likely have contingency plans should a deal for Karetsas be unachievable, with players such as Said El Mala still possibly on the market and open to a move this summer, despite reports suggesting he is set to remain at Köln for another season.

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In summary, Dortmund are doing all they can, it would seem, and if a player chooses to move to another club over them, it is a very difficult job trying to change their decision. However, if this information is true and Karetsas prefers a move to AC Milan, then Dortmund should move on to other targets immediately, as they can't afford to waste any more time in this window.

With every day that goes by, the number of available players for Dortmund becomes lower and lower, and clubs become more and more difficult to negotiate with, as they don't wish to lose players late into a transfer window. So whoever is Dortmund's alternative, they should be pushing to make that move happen quickly, if Karetsas' Italian preference is true.