Chelsea is one of the top clubs pursuing KRC Genk's Konstantinos Karatsas for the summer.
The 18-year-old has attracted the attention of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich Borussia Dortmund and Galatasaray.
After leaving Anderlecht, he initially joined the reserve team of Jupiler Pro League side on a free transfer in 2023. A year later, the attacking midfielder made his first-team debut and played 85 matches, scoring six goals and 22 assists.
This season, the Belgian-born Greece international has operated on the right wing and as an attacking midfielder. He has three goals and 17 assists in 42 matches so far, and we highlight some of his league statistics below.
| Jupiler League 2025/26 | |
|---|---|
| expected goal | 3.35 |
| expected assistance | 5.89 |
| big opportunities were created | 8 |
| main pass per game | 2.1 |
| Shots on goal per game | 0.7 |
| successful dribbles per game | 1.9 |
It is no surprise that many clubs, including Chelsea, have taken notice of the attacker's rise and development in Belgium.
Blues at the Battle of Karetsas
On 19 February, Game Witness broadcast news Liam Rosenior's side and Manchester City are attempting to bring him to the Premier League in the summer.
At the end of that month, we Claims covered from Belgium That both clubs sent their scouts to watch Genk's Europa League win over Dinamo Zagreb.
recent news Now Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, BVB and Turkish clubs report interest in the young player.
These clubs are in a race to sign the player and are not deterred by the price demanded by Genk.
The Belgian club have set a €45m price tag to make Carretta a league record sale. The current record is the €38m sale of Arden Jashari from AC Milan to Club Brugge in August 2025.
SC Freiburg won 5-1 on Thursday to knock Genk out of the Europa League. Before the clash, HLN spoke to Karetsas and asked him about the transfer links.
Responding to that he said: "I don't like reading all this. I'm not even that curious about it. But that's how the market works, okay? Let me just focus on my work on the field. I want my life to be as normal as possible. As long as I keep improving and performing, everything is fine. You know, everything else is virtually in place. It's a nice bonus, but not tangible."
Player contract, value and agent information
Last November, the attacker signed an extension with Genk until 2025 and is now valued at €35m transfer market.
Belgian agency Stir Associates, headed by agent Stijn Francis, represents the player wanted by the Blues.
Francis has a number of players on his client list including Brighton & Hove Albion keeper Bart Verbruggen, VfB Stuttgart's Bilal El Khanous and Juventus' Lois Openda.
🇦🇷 Ian Subiabre | Chelsea groundwork faces new challenge ➡️ Arsenal's strength for wonderkidhttps://t.co/qFhasGbytm #cfc #afc
- Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 19 March 2026
