Newcastle United could turn their attention to Freiburg defender Nico Schlotterbeck if they can’t get a deal done for Lille’s Sven Botman.
Speaking on Sky Sports News in their Transfer Show, reporter Dharmesh Sheth detailed Newcastle\s pursuit of Botman.
Sheth suggested (03/01, 17:20) that Lille want around £60million for Botman, making Newcastle’s pursuit very difficult.
That means Newcastle are having to look towards other options, with Sheth claiming Schlotterbeck is on the radar.
You can understand why Schlotterbeck is on the Newcastle radar as an alternative to Botman.
Both players are left-footed centre backs, something that Eddie Howe values highly.
Nathan Ake starred under Howe at Bournemouth, and Lloyd Kelly was brought in by Howe too.
It seems pretty clear that Howe wants to sign a left-footed centre back this month, with Botman the top target.
Schlotterbeck is a highly-rated defender in his own right. The 22-year-old joined the Freiburg ranks from Karlsruhe and hasn’t looked back since.
Bayern Munich are interested in signing Schlotterbeck, highlighting just what a coup this would be for Newcastle.
Whilst Botman will be the main focus, Schlotterbeck is now a name for Newcastle fans to keep an eye on.
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