Newcastle submit Sven Botman offer

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Newcastle have submitted a concrete offer to sign Sven Botman from LOSC Lille, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Cutting an imposing figure at 6’5″, Botman is a powerful centreback who rose through the youth ranks at the famous Ajax academy. Having spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Heerenveen, he joined Lille the following summer for a reported fee of €8 million. Just 18 months and 64 appearances in all competitions later, Newcastle are believed to have offered an amount in the region of €40m for the services of the 21-year-old.

Lille are apparently in no rush to sell, having not intended to do so this winter, and Botman himself is quite open to staying put for the remainder of the season.

However, Newcastle’s need is desperate as they face a tough battle to avoid relegation, and the offer they put out for the Ligue 1 champions to consider is certainly a tempting one. They’ve already completed the signing of right-back Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid for a reported fee of just under €15m.

It seems Botman, who represented Netherlands at every youth level but is yet to make his senior international debut, is seen as the next piece of the puzzle as manager Eddie Howe seeks to restructure his back line.