According to The Times‘ Martin Hardy, Newcastle are prepared to go in again with a £27m bid for Sven Botman; the Lille centre-back we tried and failed to sign in January.
The North-East reporter claims we will battle it out with AC Milan for the 22-year-old’s signature, with the player himself namechecking both clubs in a recent interview that saw him confirm he’d leave the Ligue 1 side this summer.
A bid of £27 million was proposed in January but Lille held their ground – appearing determined to keep their star centre-back ahead of a Champions League clash with Chelsea.
However, it seems we have not given up on the player, with The Times claiming that we’ll submit a similar offer in the summer transfer window.
At just 22, Botman has already experienced winning a title with Lille, playing Champions League football this season – reaching the round of 16 – and has represented the Netherlands at all youth levels as well as receiving call-ups to the senior team.
If we were to win the battle for the young defender, it could easily kickstart the rest of our summer and show some of our other high-profile targets just how serious we are taking our long-term plan.
