Newcastle have been presented with a new hurdle to completing a move for Sven Botman after the Premier League side reportedly made a second approach for the defender. Botman has impressed for Lille, helping them to beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title last season.
That has seen him draw interest from several clubs, including Liverpool and Newcastle, amid Lille’s well-documented financial problems.
Newcastle are desperate to bring in defensive reinforcements in the January window following a dreadful first-half of the season.
The Magpies have won just one of their 19 games so far this term, which has left them second bottom of the Premier League table.
At the heart of their problems has been their awful defensive record, which is the joint-worst in the division.
They have conceded 52 goals in their league games this campaign, a problem that Eddie Howe has been unable to resolve.
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It is stated that Lille are demanding a fee in the region of £30million in return for the Dutchman, a figure Newcastle are expected to be able to afford easily.
The transfer fee is not what is presenting Newcastle with the biggest obstacle to bringing in Botman though.
Instead, it is claimed that while he is ‘keen’ to enter into talks with the Premier League side, he does have a demand that Newcastle cannot give to him.
The issue is that Botman is described as being ‘loathed’ to miss out on Lille’s Champions League last 16 tie with Chelsea.
The first leg of their knockout stage clash will not take place until 22 February, with the second leg coming on 16 March.
Obviously, if Botman moves on in January he will not be able to take part in either leg and will also be unable to play in the Champions League next season.
It is stated that Newcastle have ‘received encouragement’ from Botman’s representatives over the prospect of an agreement being reached despite that, though Howe has refused to comment.
“I’m not going to comment on individual players, due to respect for the player and the club that he plays for,” he said ahead of Newcastle’s FA Cup clash with Cambridge United.
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