Newcastle are close to making a breakthrough in their pursuit of Sven Botman after concluding the deal to sign Matt Targett from Aston Villa in a £15m deal.
However, the Tyneside side face competition from AC Milan for Lille centre-back Botman who is valued at £30m.
The Dutch defender revealed earlier this week that he intends to leave Lille this summer and also confirmed both clubs are interested in signing him.
Newcastle have been chasing Botman since January and made bids in the region of £32million during the January transfer window. They failed to push a deal over the line in the winter but have continued their pursuit this summer, alongside Serie A champions AC Milan, who are also interested in the Dutchman.
Speaking to Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad as reported by Sportsmail, Botman said he intends to leave Lille this summer as he ‘intends to take a [different] step’ in his career.
When asked by if he has played his last game for the Ligue 1 side, the 22-year-old said: “’I don’t know, but I think so. I intend to take a step.
“Talks are underway now. I won’t go into all of that, but it’s going well. I do hope that the transfer for the new season is completed. Preferably also for the pre-season, yes.”
Botman revealed both Newcastle and AC Milan are interested but refused to go into further detail.
He added: “Those clubs are interested, yes. I can’t and won’t say much more about it. What I want is to take a nice step towards a nice competition. I am also looking forward to a new step.”
The deal is likely to cost around £30m, although Newcastle have been haggling over a structured deal.
