Sven Botman looks set to become the latest star that Ligue 1 side Lille have sold for big money.
The 22-year-old Netherlands Under-21 international is closing in on a big-money move to Newcastle United after the Magpies agreed a £35m deal with the 2020-21 Ligue 1 champions.
The former Ajax youngster, who has been pursued by the Magpies and Serie A champions AC Milan, has spent the last two seasons in France, but he is set to become Newcastle’s third signing of the summer transfer window.
Botman, who will join Matt Targett and Nick Pope at St James’ Park, has carried out his medical at the Newcastle training ground today and is closing in on a switch to Tyneside.
The left-footed centre-back, who is yet to be capped for the senior Netherlands side, has been Eddie Howe and PIFs number one defensive target and the Toon Army have got their man.
In his two seasons at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, Botman has made 79 appearances for Lille and he’s set to become the latest Les Dogues star to be sold for big money.
With that in mind, HITC Sport takes a look at how Lille could line-up if they kept their star names.
How Lille could line-up if they kept their star names
Following Gianluigi Donnarumma’s move to Paris Saint Germain as a free agent, the Rossoneri signed the France international Mike Maignan from Lille last summer.
After six years and 180 appearances for Lille, Maignan made the move to Milan with big shoes to fill, but in his first season in Italy, he helped AC win their first Scudetto in 11 years.
World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard started off his professional career at Lille having come through the academy and went on to make 25 appearances for the first team before joining Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart.
After three seasons at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, Pavard was snapped up by German giants Bayern Munich where he has gone on to win the Champions League and four German titles, as well as making over 100 appearances for the Bavarians.
Alongside Botman at the heart of the Lille defence, there is a Premier League feel with Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne occupying the left-back berth and Arsenal centre-halve Gabriel joining the Dutchman at the heart of the defence.
Digne made 62 appearances for Lille before being snapped up Paris Saint Germain and Gabriel played for the French outfit 51 times before the Gunners splashed out £23.14m to bring the Brazilian to the Emirates Stadium.
The two-man midfield we’ve gone for also has Premier League connections to it. Yves Bissouma who has recently secured a big-money move to Tottenham is joined in the engine room by former Bayern Munich star Renato Sanches, who previously had an underwhelming loan spell with Swansea City.
Bissouma, who signed for Tottenham in a deal worth £25m earlier this month, moved to Brighton from Lille in July 2018, and under the tutelage of Seagulls Graham Potter, the Mali international established himself as one of the most talented and sought after midfielders in the Premier League.
The talented Portuguese has got his career back on track after a difficult couple of years and he looks set to earn yet another big move to one of Europe’s powerhouses.
What Lille fans would give to unleash the front four we’ve put together. Arsenal’s £72m club-record signing Pepe hasn’t hit the heights that Gunners fans would have hoped to see.
The Ivorian finds himself on the fringes of Mikel Arteta’s side and it’s difficult to see a way back for him in north London.
But with Lille, the dynamic forward produced the best football of his career, scoring 37 goals and providing 18 assists from 79 matches.
Another big-money signing who has struggled to live up to the price tag is Real Madrid flop Eden Hazard. In a deal that could exceed £150m, the former Chelsea and Lille star has been plagued with injury and fitness issues since joining Los Blancos.
In 66 games for the reigning European Champions, Hazard has scored just six goals and failed to net at all in La Liga last season.
Prior to lighting up the Premier League at Stamford Bridge, the Belgian international scored 50 goals and laid on 53 assists from 194 matches for Lille.
Rafael Leao only spent a season with Lille following his arrival from Sporting Lisbon, but it was evident that the young Portuguese would go on to have a great career.
Since joining Milan, the forward’s importance in Stefano Pioli’s side has grown with every passing season and he looks set to become the Rossoneri’s main man.
Completing how Lille could line-up if they kept their star names is no other than Nigeria and Napoli star Victor Osimhen who is one of the most coveted strikers across Europe.
Like Leao, Osimhen only spent one season in France following his arrival from RSC Charleroi, but after scoring 18 goals from 38 matches, Napoli paid Lille 81.3m euros to make Osimhen the most expensive African of all time, eclipsing the fee Arsenal paid for Pepe.
The £85m-rated striker is attracting interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs and it seems just a matter of time before Osimhen departs Naples.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
