Newcastle United are set to miss out on key transfer target Sven Botman, who, according to co-owner Amanda Staveley, was eager to join the club in the winter. The Dutchman is reportedly on his way to AC Milan.
Newcastle United are facing defeat in the pursuit of Lille centre-back Sven Botman with AC Milan agreeing personal terms with the player, says report. The Magpies chased after the Dutchman throughout the winter window but couldn’t reach an agreement with the reigning Ligue 1 champions over the fee.
It is believed that the player had agreed personal terms and was open to a move despite the club languishing in the relegation zone – a situation they have since improved upon. NUFC co-owner Amanda Staveley confirmed the same in a recent interview.
“We had to encourage players – ‘we’ll be a safe place for you, we’ll deliver and grow’. Some desperately wanted to come to us, like Sven (Botman), who still does very much and has talked very openly about that,”
“We did everything. We never stopped. From the start to the finish, we did not stop working.”
Staveley told The Athletic recently.
AC Milan are in the driving seat presently for the 22-year-old, as per the report. Milan have admired Botman for a long time, and the player is now prepared to commit his long-term future to the club despite his earlier wish for a Premier League transfer. Journalist Nicolo Shira – who broke the news – believes that the Rossoneri will attempt to wrap the deal up in the coming weeks, before the end of the season, similar to how they signed Botman’s former Lille teammate Mike Maignan the previous summer.
Botman’s touted arrival puts the future of Milan captain Alessio Romagnoli in doubt. The central defender is reaching the end of his contract and has been the subject of interest from Lazio and Juventus. Should the proposed moves go through, Botman would join Fikayo Tomori and Simon Kjaer as the senior centerbacks in Milan, with youngsters Matteo Gabbia and Pierre Kalulu providing cover.
