Hope for Newcastle as competition talks ‘on standby’ for €30m+ defender – Magpies need to act quickly

It’s a well-known fact that if Newcastle United had their way, they would sign Sven Botman to bolster their defence.

Unfortunately, that’s not the way things work, and the Magpies are having to deal with competition from Milan, who appear to be winning the race.

That comes from Calciomercato.it, who have information on the race to sign the Newcastle target, with the Serie A side in the lead.

It’s explained that while Botman appears keen on a move to Milan, Lille aren’t playing ball when it comes to the transfer fee.

This gives Newcastle a little bit more time if they want to get their man for next season, because we all know money isn’t really an issue for them, but they are going to have to act quickly.

The website state ‘there is still no total agreement’ between Milan and Lille, and while talks ‘to close the deal have been going on for some time’, they are currently ‘experiencing a standby phase’.

This doesn’t mean it’s dead in the water, however, because Calciomercato.it state ‘the last meeting for Botman at Milan is expected to close the deal for a figure between €30-35m’ and there ‘remains a feeling of great optimism’ this will get done.

Over to you, Newcastle.