Newcastle United have spent much of the winter transfer market being linked with a move for Lille’s Sven Botman.
With Eddie Howe looking to add a top central defender to his options, the Dutchman quickly became a target for the Magpies.
Attempts were made to get the player away from the Ligue 1 side, but Lille stood firm with their valuation, knowing they’ll have a good chance of reaching it in the summer.
Botman has now spoken about the situation, and made it clear that he was tempted by the chance of joining the Premier League club.
He’d informed Lille that he would be open to a change, but at no point considered causing trouble with the French club to try and force a transfer.
The 22-year-old is quoted by Voetbal International as saying: “Newcastle is working on a great project and I thought it would be fun to be a part of it. Especially if you look at where Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain once started.”
Those will be welcome comments to Newcastle United fans, albeit tinged with some regret that the club didn’t manage to come up with a package to please Lille.
Maybe things can be different in the summer window.
