Date: 31st May 2022 at 1:59pm
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Steve Wraith has offered a positive update for Newcastle United fans when discussing the club’s pursuit of Sven Botman.

The Lille centre-back has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with CalcioMercato reporting that the North East side had made a “very strong” approach for the 22-year-old’s signature ahead of Serie A outfit AC Milan, who are also interested.

And now speaking on the NUFC Matters podcast, Wraith has offered an update which will please the St. James’ Park faithful. He said:

“Botman, there does seem to be legs in that deal, at least.”

He also went on to mention that the club’s approach to deals may be different to how it was in January, with the priority being the pursuit of players of top quality, while in mid-season the focus was signing players that would help them stay in the Premier League.

This sparked a discussion between Wraith and NUFC Matters co-host Mick Lowes about the nature of these pursuits, with Lowes touting a potential pre-contract arrangement for Botman to join this summer, but ultimately came to the conclusion that nothing is concrete at this stage, but the transfer window will be exciting for the club.

Our thoughts on Botman…

If Eddie Howe’s ambition with his signings this summer being focused on building a young team with great potential, then Botman will be an ideal acquisition.

Agent Francesco Miniero has previously described the youngster as “one of the strongest centre backs in the world” and a “golden boy”, while he has also received praise from AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini, who told DAZN, via Voetbal International, that he is a “great player”.

So it is easy to see why the Dutchman is so in demand, and will likely cost in excess of his £27m valuation according to Transfermarkt, as he is an important player for Lille, clocking up 30 appearances for the French side this season, and they could take advantage of the competition over his signing to drive his price up even more.

But for Newcastle, it would be a price worth paying, as they would be getting a young defender with great potential to improve, while strengthening their starting XI at the same time.

The Magpies have struggled to keep a consistent backline during the 2021/22 season, with no defender making more than 25 appearances for the club in the Premier League this season. But with the signing of Dan Burn for £13m from Brighton and Hove Albion in January, and if they can bring in Botman to slot in alongside him at centre back, Howe is all of a sudden on the path to building a solid and reliable back four.

And in other news, Dean Jones has made a transfer claim about one of Newcastle’s star players.

 

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