Newcastle United are still interested in Sven Botman, and this is causing a few issues in Milan’s attempts to sign him.
Not because he prefers a move to St James’ Park, no, but more because the Magpies are prepared to offer a certain amount of money to Lille, who have now turned to the Italians and expect them to match it.
This is what Corriere dello Sport are reporting on Wednesday when looking at the Dutchman’s future and how close/far it is from Milan.
It’s made clear the player ‘wants’ to move to San Siro, having made that decision for some time, but that doesn’t mean he’ll get what he wants.
While there are ‘discussions going on’, Milan have ‘no agreement’ with the Ligue 1 side, slowed down by the recent takeover from RedBird, as the ‘definition of the available budget’ this summer still needs to be defined.
For Botman, any outlay would have to be ‘substantial’, and Lille aren’t prepared to give them any discounts, since they want €30m and Newcastle ‘are ready to put that amount on the plate’.
Not only that, but other Premier League clubs are also interested, looking for a left-footed centre-back.
Still, Milan have the advantage over Newcastle because they have Botman’s preference, but that can only go so far.
We’ll have to see if the Magpies’ money wins, but neither Lille nor anyone else will want this to drag on longer than it has to.
