An insight into the reasoning behind the hold up in Newcastle United’s swoop for LOSC Lille defender Sven Botman has been provided on Thursday.
Recent months have of course seen Dutch international Botman hotly tipped for a St. James’ switch.
Despite widespread reports stemming from Italy suggesting that the defender was on the verge of linking up with Serie A champions AC Milan, the transfer team on Tyneside have since muscled themselves firmly back into the race for the highly-regarded 22-year-old.
In fact, speculation last week had pointed towards Newcastle as the new clear front-runners in the Botman sweepstakes, amid mounting confidence that a deal was inching ever closer to completion.
BUDAPEST – Sven Botman van Holland during the UEFA EURO U21 quarter-final match between the Netherlands U21 and France U21 at the Bozsik Arena on May 31, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. ANP ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN (Photo by ANP Sport via Getty Images)
And yet, to this point, updates on a deal coming to fruition have been few and far between.
Concerns on the part of the Magpies faithful, in turn, have followed, as all associated with the club are forced to face up to the prospect of missing out on a key target ahead of next season.
And now, as alluded to above, an insight into the precise reasoning behind the efforts of those in a position of power at St. James’ to clinch a definitive agreement with Lille has been provided.
As per Scott Wilson of the Northern Echo, it is Botman himself who is behind the saga continuing to drag out.
This comes with the Dutchman having long decided that he would rather make the move to Italy to link up with Milan, than swap France for the Premier League and Newcastle.
The Rossoneri, however, have yet to up their offer towards the kind of figure expected to coax Lille into a sale.
As a result, despite the defender’s will, Newcastle remain in a ‘strong position’ in the Botman sweepstakes, owing to the altogether more enticing financial package put forth by the Geordie outfit.
⚫️⚪️TRANSFER LATEST: Lille tell Sven Botman he won’t be joining AC Milan unless Italians significantly increase their offer, but at the moment, that’s where he wants to go. #NUFC still in strong position – with much more lucrative deal on the table…https://t.co/7vNO9uZABT
— Scott Wilson (@Scottwilsonecho) June 16, 2022
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