Reported Newcastle United summer transfer target Sven Botman has told L’Équipe that he will leave Lille in the summer transfer window.
Botman, who was linked with a move to Newcastle in the January transfer window and remains on the radar of Eddie Howe’s side, has said that he is sure that there will be offers for him at the end of the season.
The Times reported in March that Newcastle are planning to make a bid of £27 million for Botman, who turned down the Magpies in the January transfer window.
Newcastle United target Sven Botman on Lille future
Boost for Magpies
In our opinion, Botman saying that he will leave Lille in the summer transfer window is a boost for Newcastle.
The Magpies will now hope to strike a deal with Lille and then convince the defender to move to St. James’ Park.
Yes, persuading Botman to join Newcastle who will have no European football next season will not be easy.
After all, Lille were playing in the Champions League this season, and the Magpies had been fighting for survival in the Premier League for much of the campaign.
However, Newcastle were able to sign Bruno Guimarães from Lyon in the January transfer window.
So anything’s possible.
Botman is rated very highly, with journalist Duncan Castles saying on The Transfer Window Podcast in December 2020 that Jose Fonte thinks that Botman is better than Van Dijk.
Castles said: “Fonte has played with an array of top-class centre-backs in his career including Virgil van Dijk, Toby Alderweireld, Pepe in the Portuguese national team and Gabriel last season who is now at Arsenal.
“From what I understand of Fonte’s impression of Botman, he thinks he’s the best of all of them. He describes him as a machine and a man who doesn’t make mistakes.”
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