Big twist emerges on £27m-rated Newcastle-linked “golden boy”, PIF will be buzzing - opinion

Newcastle United’s owners showed in the previous January transfer window just how capable they are of being active in the market and spending money on bringing new players to the Tyneside club.

With the upcoming summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though a big twist has emerged over one potential deal that could take place for Newcastle once the current season ends.

According to a recent report from Football Insider, the Magpies are in pole position to sign defender Sven Botman from Lille for around £30m this summer even though he has apparently already agreed personal terms with AC Milan.

The Toon were linked with a move for the centre-back during the previous winter transfer window but couldn’t get a deal over the line.

Since joining the French club back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Ajax’s U21 side, the 22-year-old has made 75 appearances for Lille across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and two assists.

With an average of 4.5 clearances per game in Ligue 1 this season, more than any other Lille player, the Dutchman could be a big asset for the Toon and strengthen their back line.

Labelled as a “golden boy” by Francesco Miniero, the director of Botman’s agency in Italy, the defender would certainly be a special deal for PIF to pull off, who will surely be happy at being at the front of the line to sign the youngster.

Even though Eddie Howe’s side haven’t conceded more than one goal in any of their 12 previous games across all competitions, adding the Lille star, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, to their ranks would definitely make the team stronger at the back, even after they already added some depth to it in January with the arrivals of Dan Burn,