Sky Sports are reporting that Newcastle could turn their attention to Freiburg star Nico Schlotterbeck if their pursuit of Sven Botman falls through.
Botman is believed to be our ‘number one’ centre-back target this month, however it was reported yesterday that Lille are determined to keep the 21-year-old after rejecting our £30m bid.
Schlotterbeck has been one of the top performing defenders in the Bundesliga this year, with some describing him as one of the best prospects in Germany following his rise to form over the past 12 months.
He received his first call-up to the German national side in 2021 and has played a huge part in Freidburg’s superb form so far this season, with them currently third in the Bundesliga behind only Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
The 22-year-old stands 6ft 3′ tall and is a left-sided centre-back who has received praise for his dominance in the air and ability to carry the ball out from the back.
As for Botman, here’s what Sky’s Dharmesh Sheth had to say on our battle to sign the Dutch defender:
“I think Botman is Newcastle’s No 1 choice, but if you look at the Lille situation, they don’t want to sell in this window.
“They’re still in the Champions League and they’re fighting to finish in a Champions League place in Ligue 1.
“What’s more, Botman has got a contract at Lille that goes until the summer of 2025.
“One contact has actually said to me today that if Lille were to even consider selling Botman in this window, then they’d be looking for a price in excess of £60m.”