Duncan Castles has claimed Lille could be prepared to sell Sven Botman for a cut-price fee in January due to the club’s desperate financial situation.
Botman has been a revelation since joining Lille from Heerenveen in the summer of 2020, with the solid partnership he formed with Jose Fonte at the back playing a pivotal role in the club’s march to the Ligue 1 title last campaign.
Earlier this year, Fabrizio Romano revealed Spurs showed interest in snapping up the Netherlands international, and it was reported in the summer that the centre-back was valued by Lille at around €45m (£39m).
However, if Castles’ latest update is to be believed, the French club are now ready to slash their asking price for Botman to around €25m (£21.3m) ahead of the January transfer window.
The journalist revealed Newcastle hold an interest in the 21-year-old but added that the Magpies could face plenty of competition for the Lille star.
Castles said on the recent episode of the Transfer Window Podcast (08/12/21): “My information is that, Lille, because of their desperation to create income in this window, they may sell Botman for as little as €25m.
“There are definitely discussions with the player’s representatives. The deal has not been done, I’m told it is a possibility, but it is not a straightforward move.
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“When it comes out that Botman is available for €25m, the chances are that a club in a better league position will have an interest in that deal and will compete with Newcastle.
“Then you have the question of whether or not they can convince a player of Botman’s quality to come to Newcastle with the promise of money and something good down the line rather than going to a more established club.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Spurs lack any natural cover or competition for Ben Davies in the left-centre-back role.
The likes of Tanganga, Romero and Sanchez prefer playing on the right side while Dier, who is capable of playing on the left, is Conte’s preferred choice for the central role.
So, Spurs certainly need a central defender of Botman’s profile and the club might be quite tempted if he is made available for around £20m.
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