Tenacious Newcastle refuse to bow down as £34m transfer battle heats up

AC Milan are struggling to fend off Newcastle in the race to sign Sven Botman, with a report revealing what each club are pinning their hopes on.

The Magpies pushed hard to bring a major name on board at centre-back in January. Sevilla’s Diego Carlos and Lille’s Sven Botman were the two stars most frequently linked.

However, neither deal could be made for a price Newcastle deemed acceptable. As such, efforts to snag Dan Burn from Brighton were ramped up with the rangy defender arriving for £7m.

Yet since the winter window slammed shut, links with Botman in particular have continued to emerge.

Indeed, the Telegraph recently reported the Dutchman, 22, will be the subject of a renewed Newcastle chase this summer.

That outlet stated a figure of around £30m could seal the deal, though Newcastle aren’t alone in the frame.

AC Milan have widely been reported to be pursuing the same goal of signing Botman. And per Italian journalist Paolo Bargiggia, Botman is the Rossoneri’s No1 target in defence this summer.

Speaking to PianetaMilan, Bargiggia shed light on AC’s ongoing pursuit of Botman. Milan will reportedly do “everything” to sign Botman, though Newcastle are making their life difficult at every turn.

Bargiggia also suggested Botman’s price tag may be slightly higher than what the Telegraph reported – €40m (£34m).

“Sven Botman is the number one target [at AC Milan],” said Bargiggia via Sport Witness. “However, to date, they have not been able to close the negotiation.

“We are talking about a negotiation with a valuation of about 40 million euros. From what it appears on the player, there is also Newcastle, who won’t let go, so Milan has not yet managed to close this negotiation.”

The journalist then outlined what each club