Things looked all set and done between AC Milan and Lille for the acquisition of Sven Botman when Newcastle United stepped in at the eleventh hour to not only break off such suggestions but also emerge favourites on the other side of the hill.
Sven Botman is regarded as a first-choice transfer target for Stefano Pioli to bolster his already water-tight defence since the conclusion of the winter transfer window, meanwhile, the Geordies did try to get the deal over the line in January – but nothing materialized for either the Reds from Milan or for Eddie Howe’s men (Newcastle United, at that time, settled for Dan Burn instead). And this one was surely going to be some saga coming into summer.
It hasn’t disappointed, has it? – Well, the Magpies are surely disappointed in Lille after the French side changed their mind over accepting a £30million bid which was followed by raising the asking price to £36million. The French clubs have a reputation of playing hard-ball over transfers, and Newcastle are ‘extremely annoyed’ over Lille’s negative tactics to raise a bid for Sven Botman.
The Telegraph report that Newcastle United will now offer a ‘take it or leave it’ proposal for Sven Botman, and there has been no latest reports over AC Milan’s stance on the current situation and their intentions to pursue a transfer for the Dutchman.
More this one rumbles on, the more the possibilities of Newcastle walking away. They have set a standard that despite all the investments made – they will not be bullied into any deal. We’ve seen Eddie Howe & Co. walk away from the pursuit of Ivan Toney (quoted £50m), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (quoted £60m), and Jack Harrison (quoted £30m) after quotations that the board felt were to get the club ripped. Such is the case with Sven Botman as well.
If Lille are persistent with their hardball tactics to up the price, I believe Newcastle would not mind moving on to other names just like they did in January.
