Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Sven Botman in recent days – but the club could now face competition from AC Milan.
According to Sky Italia, the Rossoneri have now joined the hunt for the Lille star.
The current Serie A league leaders have been rocked by a serious injury to Simon Kjaer.
The central defender is out for the foreseeable future, after suffering an ACL injury during the club’s 3-0 win over Genoa last week.
The Denmark international has undergone surgery, and is expected to be out for around six months.
It is a hammer blow for Milan, with Kjaer having made key contributions to the club’s rise to the top of the table.
Apparently Milan also like Malang Sarr, Andreas Christensen and Nikola Milenkovic.
Newcastle have supposedly sounded out Botman as a potential signing next month.
The Athletic reported that Eddie Howe has backed a move for the talented 21-year-old, who won the league title with Lille last term.
A test of Newcastle’s pull, as AC Milan enter Sven Botman hunt
It is not good news for Newcastle that Milan are keen on Sven Botman.
They are highly likely to act in January following the injury to Kjaer.
Given there are fighting for the league title, they cannot really stand by and do nothing. There is every chance they will make a play for Botman.
It is going to be a real test of Newcastle’s pull. Milan may have struggled in recent years, but they are still a massive club and seem to be on the rise again.
It’s likely a move there will appeal to Botman, who will know many Dutch players have gone there before him; Clarence Seedorf, Jaap Stam, Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Mark van Bommel, Nigel de Jong to name but a few.
Supposedly Botman would cost around £40 million to sign. It remains to be seen if Milan can afford that asking price.
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