Newcastle United are on the brink of making Sven Botman their third signing of the summer.
After a prolonged transfer saga that has spanned two windows, it looks like the Magpies have finally got their man.
The club agreed a fee with Lille on Friday evening, with Newcastle set to pay a fee in the region of £35million according to Sky Sports.
Eddie Howe’s side have fended off interest from AC Milan and are now closing in on their top defensive target.
All that needs to happen now is for Botman to pass a medical and agree personal terms. And that could happen very soon.
Romano claims Botman will sign for the Magpies today
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on the situation on Twitter, and believes the deal will be finalised today.
“Two players are set to complete their moves in Premier League today,” he wrote.
“Sven Botman, in England in order to undergo medicals and sign with Newcastle. Done deal, €37million fee.”
The other transfer he mentions is Alphonse Areola to West Ham, which is another deal Newcastle were linked with. However, we have now brought in Nick Pope instead. The 30-year-old is an excellent addition from Burnley.
Delight as Botman is finally set to join
Back to Botman, and there appears to be differing reports about the fee. Romano reckons the deal is worth around £32million. There will no doubt be more information about the price in the coming days and we can find out exactly how much Newcastle are paying.
The important thing is that this deal is almost completed. It feels like a formality at this stage, with Botman all set to join Howe’s squad for the 2022/23 Premier League season and beyond.
It’s a huge moment for the Magpies, who wanted to sign the 22-year-old in January. However, a price could not be agreed.
We appeared to be having a similar problem this summer, while competition from AC Milan complicated matters further.
But in the words of Mehrdad Ghodoussi, patience is a virtue, and patience is what has been needed in this transfer pursuit.
Less than a week after Pope followed Matt Targett to become signing number two, a third is on its way.
Assuming there aren’t any late snags, Botman is going to become a Magpie. And Romano believes today is the day.
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