Newcastle United’s hopes of signing Sven Botman appear to be fading fast, with the player now ‘really close’ to joining AC Milan.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported today that the Dutch defender is closing in on a switch to the Italian giants.
Talks are apparently advanced, and Milan are hoping to reach a full agreement with Lille soon.
The player is said to be ready to accept the proposal.
The news will perhaps come as a blow for Newcastle’s new owners, who tried hard to land the 22-year-old in January.
Ultimately, Lille stood firm over their player and wouldn’t let him leave for anything less than a huge fee.
Newcastle ended the window by signing Dan Burn, who was largely been fantastic for the Magpies since his arrival.
His form has allowed fans not to be too hung up about Botman. But many were hoping to see the club move for him again in the summer.
Amanda Staveley recently went as far as to say that Botman desperately wanted to join Newcastle. And that he still did (The Athletic).
It appears though that Milan are now firmly in pole position to sign Botman. And it could that Newcastle will ultimately need to look at other options.
Romano said on Twitter: “AC Milan are really close to complete Sven Botman deal as first signing for the next season, work in progress. Talks are advanced as planned for months.
“AC Milan are working to reach full agreement with Lille soon – Botman is ready to accept their proposal.”
Missing out on Sven Botman would be a real shame for Newcastle as AC Milan reportedly close in
Milan have been linked with Botman just as long as Newcastle, and they have always felt like strong competition.
They’re a huge club, and appear to be doing much better on the pitch these days. Currently, they are top of Serie A and could well end the season as champions.
It would be a shame for Newcastle to miss out on Botman. He is a fantastic central defender who is good with the ball and strong both on the ground and in the air.
One gets the feeling it will now take a mammoth effort to prise him out of Milan’s clutches.
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