Manchester City are among a host of elite European clubs monitoring Genk attacker Konstantinos Karetsas, who rejected a move to the Etihad Stadium 21 months ago.
Pep Guardiola may be nearing the end of his time at Manchester City but he has retained desire to strengthen his side evermore by bringing Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi to east Manchester with the help of sporting director Hugo Viana.
Karetsas, 18, is labelled as Genk’s greatest-ever player already except from City icon Kevin De Bruyne having scored six goals and provided 20 assists in 78 games; for the youth side, he has recorded six goals and five assists in 20 games.
This has, by far, been his most fruitful season in the Belgian Pro League, garnering three goals and 15 assists in 35 games, helping Genk climb to seventh in the division, only three points off the top four.
His future at Genk is unpredictable though, granted he has attracted the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as a race for his signature unfurls, according to 24 Sata and Het Belang van Limburg, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness.
There is high praise for the attacking star, who could be drawn to the Etihad Stadium given De Bruyne’s incomparable status in England’s north-west. Throughout a decade at the club, De Bruyne made 422 appearances and provided over 280 goals to become one of the greatest players in City history.
Yet, despite the chance to follow in his footsteps, Karetsas has previously rejected a move to City where his father, Vaios, claimed the invitation for a trial was swiftly turned down by the player.
Still, City revived their interest back in November, according to Het Laaste Nieuws, whereas Chelsea joined the hunt way back in December 2024. It is believed the Stamford Bridge side have monitored Karetsas closely ever since.
Karetsas could take some convincing to join City but even if he does accept, it is unlikely that he will find minutes instantly in Guardiola’s first-team, especially considering the talent that occupies the attacking positions.
The Greece international uses quick dribbling and a largely threatening left-foot to thrive in a free-roaming role, utilise close control of the ball and wrong foot defenders with effective body feints. He has often been described as the ‘Greek Messi’.
Within the City squad, he would have to compete with the likes of Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, while Tijjani Reijnders has recently been utilised in a more advanced role by Guardiola’s side as well.
And although minutes would be hard to come by in any of the sides interested, one thing is certain: City are more successful than their counterparts in the chase to sign Karetsas, having won the 2023 UEFA Champions League and six of the last eight Premier League titles.