Newcastle set to beat AC Milan to Sven Botman after agreeing a fee

Botman appears to be on the brink of a Newcastle move

Newcastle United appear to be close to finally completing a deal for Sven Botman. The Lille defender, a Dutch Under-21 international, was said to have been in Newcastle's sights in January, when the club - newly flushed with Saudi riches at the time - were reportedly willing to offer him a 600% pay hike. A fee thought to be around £35m has now been agreed with Lille to bring Botman to England, as Eddie Howe continues to oversee an overhaul of the squad he inherited when appointed manager last November. Should a deal be finalised, the signing of Botman will represent a coup for the Magpies, with newly crowned Italian champions AC Milan also keen to bring him in this summer. Milan were also credited with interest in the 22-year-old in January and, like Newcastle, are believed to have followed up on it after winning the Serie A title last month. With a fee now being agreed by the Premier League club, it seems Newcastle are set to win the race. Should Botman arrive at St James' Park, he will follow Nick Pope, who was signed earlier in the week from Newcastle, and Matt Targett, who has made his loan from Aston Villa a permanent deal. Reims striker Hugo Ekitike has also been strongly linked with a move to the club, with talks said to be ongoing. This follows significant investment in the January window, when deals for Bruno Guimarães, Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn were finalised. Related links:

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