Newcastle United ‘close in’ on second target despite late Manchester United interest

Newcastle United are closing in on the signing of Sven Botman from Lille, despite interest from AC Milan and a late approach from Manchester United.

That is according to English outlet the Telegraph, who claim that Botman could be Eddie Howe’s second signing of the summer after he failed to complete the deal in January despite sustained interest.

LILLE – Sven Botman of Lille OSC suffers a hamstring strain during the UEFA Champions League match between Lille OSC and Chelsea FC at Stade Pierre Mauroy on March 16, 2022 in Lille, France. ANP | Dutch Height | Gerrit van Keulen (Photo by ANP via Getty Images)

In the time since, it has seemed as though Italy and AC Milan would be his destination, but this is looking less likely as the weeks drag on, and the report suggests that it could be a matter of time before he is in black and white stripes this summer.

‘The fight between Newcastle and the newly crowned champions of Italy has not yet been won – and officials in Milan could yet move again to scupper the plan – but there is a growing sense of confidence within St James’ Park that the centre-back will decide to switch from France to Tyneside’, they claim.

Botman would become the second addition to the Magpies following the permanent signing of Matt Targett, who spent the second half of last season on loan with the Tyneside outfit.

They are also expected to add a striker and central midfielder, while they have been linked with a goalkeeper in the shape of Dean Henderson too.

Manchester United: Too little, too late?

Reports of interest from Manchester United came to the fore earlier this week, with the Red Devils seemingly stumped on defensive reinforcements as the rumour mill continues to whirl at Old Trafford.

Jurrien Timber seems set to remain at Ajax, and while the likes of Pau Torres and Goncalo Inacio have been linked, there is little concrete in either deal as of now. Suggestions of interest in Botman could not be far wide of the mark then, with the defender having attracted interest of top clubs previously and having come through the ranks at Ajax before his Lille switch.

However, given that the two other sides in the race have been working on a deal for months, they may have left any approach too late.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Manchester City	38	73	93
2	Liverpool FC	38	68	92
3	Chelsea FC	38	43	74
4	Tottenham Hotspur	38	29	71
5	Arsenal FC	38	13	69
6	Manchester United	38	0	58
7	West Ham United	38	9	56
8	Leicester City	38	3	52
9	Brighton & Hove Albion	38	-2	51
10	Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	-5	51
11	Newcastle United	38	-18	49
12	Crystal Palace	38	4	48
13	Brentford FC	38	-8	46
14	Aston Villa	38	-2	45
15	Southampton FC	38	-24	40
16	Everton FC	38	-23	39
17	Leeds United	38	-37	38
18	Burnley FC	38	-19	35
19	Watford FC	38	-43	23
20	Norwich City	38	-61	22

Player	Team	Goals
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	23
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	23
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	18
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	17
Mane, Sadio	Liverpool FC	16
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	15
Jota, Diogo	Liverpool FC	15
Vardy, Jamie	Leicester City	15
Zaha, Wilfried	Crystal Palace	14
Sterling, Raheem	Manchester City	13
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	12
Maddison, James	Leicester City	12
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	12
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	11
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	11
Mahrez, Riyad	Manchester City	11
Richarlison	Everton FC	11
Pukki, Teemu	Norwich City	11
Raphinha	Leeds United	11
Watkins, Ollie	Aston Villa	11

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards
Mings, Tyrone	Aston Villa	0	11
Xhaka, Granit	Arsenal FC	1	10
Tarkowski, James	Burnley FC	0	11
Firpo, Junior	Leeds United	0	11
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	0	10
Gallagher, Conor	Crystal Palace	0	10
Brownhill, Josh	Burnley FC	0	10
Bednarek, Jan	Southampton FC	0	10
Bissouma, Yves	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	10
Moreno, Rodrigo	Leeds United	0	9
Neves, Ruben	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	9
Romeu, Oriol	Southampton FC	0	9
Rudiger, Antonio	Chelsea FC	0	9
Mctominay, Scott	Manchester United	0	9
Salisu, Mohammed	Southampton FC	0	8
Ronaldo, Cristiano	Manchester United	0	8
Toney, Ivan	Brentford FC	0	8
Dennis, Emmanuel	Watford FC	0	7
Richarlison	Everton FC	0	8
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	1	7

Player	Team	Assists
Salah, Mohamed	Liverpool FC	13
Alexander-Arnold, Trent	Liverpool FC	12
Barnes, Harvey	Leicester City	11
Kane, Harry	Tottenham Hotspur	10
Bowen, Jarrod	West Ham United	10
Mount, Mason	Chelsea FC	10
Robertson, Andy	Liverpool FC	10
Maddison, James	Leicester City	9
James, Reece	Chelsea FC	9
Pogba, Paul	Manchester United	9
Cancelo, Joao	Manchester City	9
De Bruyne, Kevin	Manchester City	8
Jesus, Gabriel	Manchester City	8
Kulusevski, Dejan	Tottenham Hotspur	8
Son, Heung Min	Tottenham Hotspur	7
Saka, Bukayo	Arsenal FC	7
Antonio, Michail	West Ham United	7
Lacazette, Alexandre	Arsenal FC	7
Mbeumo, Bryan	Brentford FC	7
Fernandes, Bruno	Manchester United	6