Newcastle remain in contact with Lille over defender Sven Botman as he remains their prime target despite his club insisting he is not for sale – while Magpies await a response over Sevilla’s Diego Carlos
- Sven Botman remains Newcastle’s primary target during the current window
- His club, Lille, have insisted that the in-demand defender is still not for sale
- Despite this, the Magpies remain in contact over the centre back’s situation
- They are also awaiting a response from Sevilla after bidding for Diego Carlos
Newcastle United are maintaining contact with Lille over defender Sven Botman.
The French club have said the 22-year-old is not for sale but he has remained Newcastle’s prime target while they run parallel discussions.
They are awaiting a response from Sevilla after making a £28million offer for Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos on Wednesday.
Newcastle have maintained contact with Lille over their in-demand defender Sven Botman
Boss Eddie Howe is understood to want two centre backs, and the club have also held talks with Monaco over the highly-rated Benoit Badiashile.
Badiashile, 20, has also attracted interest from Manchester United, West Ham and Wolves in recent months, and has now now emerged as a target at St James’ Park.
He is valued at around £35m, and negotiations are ongoing with Newcastle running a number of parallel negotiations, as previously reported by Sportsmail.
They also have the potential of a loan deal for Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti.
Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile is also a target, with Eddie Howe keen to sign two centre backs
In addition to trying to strengthen his backline, Howe also has his eyes set on bringing another forward, with Reims contacted over striker Hugo Ekitike, 19.
As revealed by Sportsmail, his club want £25m plus bonuses and a sell-on percentage.
Ekitike has been identified by scouts on Tyneside as one of the best up and coming forwards in Europe, and he has scored eight goals in 18 games in a breakout season.
Newcastle have already bought Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood this month, from Atletico Madrid and Burnley respectively.
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