Newcastle go after Botman

According to a recent report from Fabrizio Romano, Sven Botman is at the top of Newcastle United’s shortlist in the January transfer window.

The belief is that they’re at a crossroads with regards to their defensive work and because of that, they’re going to put the priority on bringing more defenders in – with Botman being one of them.

They first want to find out how much Lille want for him which should be an interesting equation, considering there’s an endless stream of clubs who want to lure him away from French football.

The most interesting part of the January window, arguably, is going to be how Newcastle conduct themselves. They clearly want to make a big splash and if they’re going to do so, they need to do it in a smart way that isn’t going to disrupt the flow of what Eddie Howe wants to do between now and the end of the season.