Who is Konstantinos Karetsas, the ‘assist king’ on Milan’s radar: Genk are already asking for €30 million

Karetsas is an attacking midfielder/right winger born in Genk, Belgium, on 19 November 2007 to Greek parents who had emigrated to the Flemish region. It was in Belgium that he began playing for Racing Genk, where he took his first steps before joining Anderlecht’s renowned youth academy at the age of just 13. Two years later, at the age of 15, the failure to sign a contract (following the departure of youth director Kindermans) left him free to return to Genk on a free transfer.

His return to Genk was based on one premise: a clear path towards making his professional debut in top-flight football, and indeed that promise was kept. He scored his first professional goal at the age of 15 and, shortly afterwards, provided his first official assist against reigning champions Antwerp.

At the age of 17, in the 2024/2025 season, during his first official season with the first team, he made 25 appearances, scoring 2 goals and providing 2 assists in just over 1,000 minutes played. That figure rises to 4 assists when the cup is included.

He’s an old-school number 10 – not particularly imposing physically, but slipping in between the lines – and this, combined with a magical left foot that allows him to take set-pieces to perfection, is turning him into a veritable assist machine.

This season, across the league, the cup and the Europa League, he has racked up 43 appearances and 3 goals, but a total of 18 assists. A comparison? Perhaps the young Bernardo Silva in his Benfica and Monaco days had this ability to set his teammates in motion.

Having progressed through the ranks of Belgium’s youth national teams, Karetsas has, despite his young age, already received – and accepted – a call-up from Greece, where he has become a key player. He has scored three goals and provided one assist in nine matches across the Nations League and World Cup qualifiers, even though he will not turn 18 until November. Genk are well aware that they have a rare gem on their hands and, for this reason – and knowing that interest has been shown not only by Milan but also by clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United – they are now demanding no less than €30–35 million to let him go.