Newcastle United

Newcastle United: Insider issues big Sven Botman transfer blow

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Football journalist Dean Jones has been speaking on the latest episode of Touchline Talk to discuss the possibility of Newcastle United signing Sven Botman this month. 

The Toon have been heavily linked to the Dutch defender in recent weeks, with Eddie Howe looking to bolster his defence after what has been a dreadful first half of the Premier League campaign.

Is signing Botman essential this month?

Yes

Yes

No

No

However, they have been hit with a slight setback recently, with Lille reportedly turning down the Magpies’ offer of €35m (£29.2m) and interest coming from elsewhere in the 21-year-old.

And Jones believes the Tyneside club may be about to be hit by another setback in their pursuit of Botman, with AC Milan proving a favourable landing spot for the centre-back.

It is said Lille are still hopeful of keeping their young defender until the summer, but speaking on his future, Jones had the following to say about Newcastle’s chances of acquiring Botman:

“Well, the Botman one’s going to be difficult, because as I understand it, AC Milan are about to open talks over signing him. And I’m led to believe that he would be more inclined to go down that route.

“Not just because he sees it as a steadier pathway from where he is now, but it’s AC Milan, and the pedigree and the prestige that comes with that and also the fact that Milan have been on the rise the last couple of seasons and showing that they can compete again – I think that challenge would be quite exciting for him.”

TIF Thoughts on Sven Botman to NUFC…

We think Botman would be a huge addition to the Newcastle backline as they aim to stay up this season given the big role he played in his first Ligue 1 campaign, which saw Lille lift the title (via Transfermarkt).

If they are struggling to agree on a potential deal for Botman, we do feel Howe needs to add to his centre-back options quickly before their next league game in just over a week’s time.

Given his age, we don’t think it will be the end of the world for Newcastle if they are unable to sign Botman this month from a long-term point of view.

However, there is a lot on the line this season with relegation a serious worry at the minute, and if the Toon were to go down, we feel their Botman pursuit would certainly come to an end, too.

In other news: ‘They have everything ready’ – Fabrizio Romano issues exciting Newcastle transfer claim

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