Milan vs Dortmund: The Race for Konstantinos Karetsas

Ruben Amorim has picked up the phone. Borussia Dortmund have picked up the pace.

The battle for Konstantinos Karetsas, KRC Genk’s 18-year-old creator, is starting to look like a straight duel between Milan and the Bundesliga club, with two very different strategies on show.

Dortmund have gone straight for the jugular. Several meetings with Genk are already in the books, and Belgian outlet HLN reports fresh talks are scheduled for today. Their opening proposal — €30m plus €5m in add-ons — went on the table and came straight back. Rejected. Genk are holding out for around €40m in total, bonuses included, and they know they have a bidding war within reach.

Milan are trying to win this one in the mind before they can win it on the balance sheet.

According to the same Belgian source, Amorim personally called Karetsas to lay out his vision: how he sees the Greece international fitting into his system, how he intends to use that left foot and that creative streak that has made the teenager one of Europe’s most closely watched midfield prospects. No intermediaries, no generic pitch. Coach to player.

The problem for Milan is timing. They are not yet in a position to match Genk’s demands. The Rossoneri need to sell before they can “go all in” on Karetsas, and Amorim’s call was as much about buying time as it was about selling a project. He wants the youngster to wait, to resist Dortmund’s more advanced negotiations until Milan can free up the funds.

Dortmund, by contrast, are already deep in the numbers. They know the price, they’ve tested Genk’s resolve, and they are edging closer to the figure that should unlock the deal. For a club that has built its modern identity on developing high-ceiling talents, Karetsas fits the template almost too neatly.

So the race splits in two directions.

On one side, the hard cash and clear pathway of a club that has turned prospects into stars again and again. On the other, a new Milan project under Amorim, fronted by a coach willing to speak directly to an 18-year-old and make him feel central before any contract is signed.

Genk are waiting for the right number. Karetsas is waiting for the right move.

Whose approach lands first?