After the Alexander Isak saga last summer, Newcastle United fans would perhaps feel very justified in wanting the club to never do business with Liverpool ever again.

Repeatedly failing to meet our valuation of the want-away striker, inspiring Isak to boycott training and pre-season, and only agreeing a deal on deadline day, it’s no wonder Eddie Howe felt a tad betrayed by close friend Richard Hughes over how the situation panned out.

And with our current Premier League and Champions League ambitions, we would be mad to sell any more of our stars to domestic rivals moving forward.

So it comes as a particular surprise that Liverpool have set their eyes on one of our best-performing players of the season so far, and it explains recent reports that we’re set to offer said player a contract extension very soon…

Another Mag on Reds’ radar?

According to talkSPORT, Sven Botman has emerged as a potential centre-back target for Liverpool, as both an immediate and long term answer to their current defensive woes.

Following on from summer signing Giovanni Leoni’s ACL injury, as well the uncertainty surrounding Ibrahima Konate’s future at Anfield, the Reds look to have focused too much on their attack in their recent spending spree.

Botman is reportedly one of a number of targets Arne Slot’s side has in mind, with Sporting’s duo of Ousmane Diomande and Zeno Debast, as well as PSG’s William Pacho, each identified by Liverpool’s ‘data-driven’ approach as ideal signings.

Marc Guehi is still under to be their primary target, but after his move collapsed on deadline day in the summer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Crystal Palace and Three Lions star opt for a free transfer to Real Madrid or Barcelona instead, as has been rumoured.

So Botman stands out as the only one of their targets with strong Premier League experience, but with how integral he has been to our defensive form this season, it would be absurd to see us cash in and see him off to Merseyside.

Contract talks crucial to keep Botman

For all his mistakes and misgivings, former Sporting Director Paul Mitchell was right about one thing: a young, experienced defence should be the core of the Newcastle United project.

And 25-year-old Botman, alongside Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall and Malick Thiaw, are indeed the future on Tyneside, upping the importance of keeping them at the club as we look to build on a brilliant pool of young defenders.

New Sporting Director Ross Wilson has the perfect opportunity to kick off his tenure with a success by nailing Botman down with a new contract.

He’ll be entering the last year of his current deal next summer, so the sooner we can offer him a salary increase and stay until at least 2030, the better.