Graeme Bailey has claimed on the Talking Transfers podcast about how Newcastle United could sign Sven Botman.
It has been made quite clear that Newcastle are in the market for a new centre-back this summer, despite signing Dan Burn in January and handing Fabian Schar a new contract – and both Botman and Bundesliga ace Amos Pieper have been linked.
PIF will surely be looking to ensure Eddie Howe has the necessary tools to kick on next season, and handing him a Champions League defender and long-term target from January in Botman would surely go a long way to doing just that.
Despite Milan seemingly having all but completed a deal for Botman, Bailey believes the defender could still sign for Newcastle.
He said: “Botman’s agents have gone out there and said to all interested parties, ‘look, this deal isn’t done, you can still get him’ and Newcastle, being a player they love, their interest has emerged again and this has got a real chance of happening. Newcastle love Botman.”
Do Newcastle still need Botman?
Yes!
No!
TIF Thoughts on Botman…
Once Newcastle failed to land Botman in January, it may have appeared that their chances of landing the Dutch defender had almost disappeared with Milan interested and able to offer Champions League football and the opportunity to challenge for a league title, while they are reportedly set to get backing from their new owners.
However, that takeover may well be the reason why this deal has stalled so much, and if the Magpies could swoop in for a defender that stands at 6ft 4in and has experience winning silverware, as well as playing in the Champions League, they would be insane not to take Lille up on that deal.