Lille were successful in resisting efforts made by Newcastle United and AC Milan in signing Sven Botman in January.
The Tyneside club’s interest was confirmed by the Ligue 1 side’s president, the defender, his agent. Amanda Staveley, the Magpies chief, revealed last week the 22-year-old was keen on moving to St James’ Park and he still wants to join her side after his season.
Three days ago, Calciomercato stated the Serie A side need to ‘protect themselves’ from competition from Newcastle as the latter have no intention to give up on the centre-back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri have managed to ‘overcome Newcastle’ to bring the Dutchman to the San Siro. It’s claimed Stefano Pioli’s side have reached an agreement with Botman for a five-year deal, worth €3.5m net per season.
It is an ‘important figure’ for Milan, but due to the tax laws in Italy, the gross salary would be around €5m.
The Premier League side, with the help of their new owners, have ‘great means’ and can offer a better deal to Lille. It is no coincidence the defender’s price tag rises to €40m. This is a ‘considerable leap’, if one takes into account the negotiations with the Milan leaders ‘had stabilised at around 30 million’.
With Milan reaching an agreement with Botman for a five-year contract and overcoming competition from Newcastle, they now have to agree a deal with Lille in order to bring the centre-back to Italy in the summer.
