Newcastle United are closing in on the signing of Sven Botman from Lille, despite interest from AC Milan and a late approach from Manchester United.
That is according to English outlet the Telegraph, who claim that Botman could be Eddie Howe’s second signing of the summer after he failed to complete the deal in January despite sustained interest.
LILLE – Sven Botman of Lille OSC suffers a hamstring strain during the UEFA Champions League match between Lille OSC and Chelsea FC at Stade Pierre Mauroy on March 16, 2022 in Lille, France. ANP | Dutch Height | Gerrit van Keulen (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)
In the time since, it has seemed as though Italy and AC Milan would be his destination, but this is looking less likely as the weeks drag on, and the report suggests that it could be a matter of time before he is in black and white stripes this summer.
‘The fight between Newcastle and the newly crowned champions of Italy has not yet been won – and officials in Milan could yet move again to scupper the plan – but there is a growing sense of confidence within St James’ Park that the centre-back will decide to switch from France to Tyneside’, they claim.
Botman would become the second addition to the Magpies following the permanent signing of Matt Targett, who spent the second half of last season on loan with the Tyneside outfit.
They are also expected to add a striker and central midfielder, while they have been linked with a goalkeeper in the shape of Dean Henderson too.
Manchester United: Too little, too late?
Reports of interest from Manchester United came to the fore earlier this week, with the Red Devils seemingly stumped on defensive reinforcements as the rumor mill continues to whirl at Old Trafford.
Jurrien Timber seems set to remain at Ajax, and while the likes of Pau Torres and Goncalo Inacio have been linked, there is little concrete in either deal as of now. Suggestions of interest in Botman could not be far wide of the mark then, with the defender having attracted interest of top clubs previously and having come through the ranks at Ajax before his Lille switch.
However, given that the two other sides in the race have been working on a deal for months, they may have left any approach too late.
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Premier League table
| † | Team | MP | d | p |
| 1 | Manchester City | 38 | 73 | 93 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 38 | 68 | 92 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 38 | 43 | 74 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 29 | 71 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 38 | 13 | 69 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 38 | 0 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 38 | 9 | 56 |
| 8 | Leicester City | 38 | 3 | 52 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 38 | -2 | 51 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | -5 | 51 |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 38 | -18 | 49 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 4 | 48 |
| 13 | Brentford FC | 38 | -8 | 46 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 38 | -2 | 45 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 38 | -24 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 38 | -23 | 39 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 38 | -37 | 38 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 38 | -19 | 35 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 38 | -43 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 38 | -61 | 22 |
| player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyadh | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granite | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, Jameso | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Reuben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| McTominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| player | Team | assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Mikhail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |