Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Newcastle not being in with Europe’s elite could mean Sven Botman opts for a move to another team in the summer.
Sven Botman has been a mainstay in the LOSC Lille defence this season, he has featured 21 times in Ligue 1 and has contributed a respectable three goals, according to Transfermarkt.
After Newcastle reportedly had a bid turned down for the Dutch defender in January, AC Milan are supposedly edging closer to acquiring his signature.
Pete O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT that AC Milan having Champions League football could be the “deciding factor” as to where Sven Botman ends up next season.
“Milan are a massive club. They have been following Sven Botman for a long time and the trump card they’ve got over Newcastle is it looks like they will probably be able to offer Champions League football next season. That might just be the deciding factor in their pursuit of the Dutch international.” O’Rourke said.
This now appears to be a huge U-turn by the defender as Staveley recently stated that the Lille star was still keen on a move to St James’ Park.
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Of course, with Newcastle trying so hard to sign him in January and Staveley revealing that he’s still keen on a move to the Magpies, it would surely annoy both the club and Staveley if he was to opt for a move elsewhere.
Sven Botman has attracted huge attention from clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan, but Newcastle are still interested in his services despite having bids rejected in January for him.
It’s easy to see why the Magpies are interested in the defender when looking at his stats as he’s averaging 5.5 duels won per game, 4.8 clearances per game, an 88% passing accuracy and a 94% passing accuracy in his own half (SofaScore).
This puts him ahead of Dan Burn in all those areas, despite his brilliance in the current campaign.
With the Saudi takeover, Newcastle will be looking to bring in high calibre players to St James’s Park in the summer, but not having European football could hinder their chances of signing players that they wish.