Dan Ashworth is set to lead the negotiations to sign Sven Botman and the hope is a deal can finally be wrapped up in a matter of days, according to The Northern Echo.
What’s the latest Newcastle United transfer news?
Reports from Italian outlet Calciomercato on Friday claimed there was a feeling the money on offer in the Premier League would tempt the Lille star to England despite interest from Serie A champions AC Milan.
This report claims the Milan giants are now unwilling to match the terms on offer from Tyneside, effectively ending their interest.
Sporting director Ashworth was in attendance as the Dutch U21 side beat Wales at the Parc-Y-Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday night and the club are now hoping to seal a deal they wanted as far back as the January transfer window, with the 51-year-old leading the negotiations.
A £30m fee is believed to have been agreed, as well as the structure of potential add-ons, which could see the value of the deal rise significantly.
How big a signing would Botman be for Newcastle?
At 22 and having reportedly attracted the interest of Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Tottenham along with Milan, Newcastle winning the race to sign the player would be quite the statement of intent.
A Ligue 1 winner with Lille in 2021, signing another big name with Champions League experience would represent another coup for the club, to follow up on the additions of Bruno Guimaraes and Kieran Trippier.
Newcastle have only signed one central defender since 2018 in the shape of Dan Burn and both he and Fabian Schar are 30. As a long-term investment to have already made a major impact in one of Europe’s major five leagues, Botman would surely have to be considered a coup.
Read more: What Sven Botman could bring to Newcastle.
What has Sven Botman said about joining Newcastle?
Speaking to Dutch outlet Voetbal International in February, Botman said: “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.”
