Sven Botman receives new ultimatum as report reveals details of Newcastle and AC Milan's bids
According to new reports, Lille have told Sven Botman he will NOT be joining AC Milan this summer unless they up their offer 'significantly' for the Dutch defender.
This comes from the Northern Echo, who report that the 22-year-old favours a move to the San Siro over St James' Park after their Serie A title helped secure Champions League football for 2022/23.
The report also names the bids both clubs are believed to have submitted to Lille so far, explaining why Newcastle's current offer is much more appealing to the Ligue 1 side.
Scott Wilson - The Echo's Chief Writer - reckons our offer is €30m and features a host of add-ons that could take the final amount to €40m.
AC Milan, however, are said to have offered '€20-25m up front' and add-ons that would would make the total fee no more than €30m, meaning Lille could bank €10m less if they were to go with Milan's bid.
Who knows if there's any truth in these figures, but if they're anywhere near accurate it's easy to see why this deal is dragging.
It makes you wonder if Botman has been waiting for Milan to up their offer - which appears essential if they want to beat us to a deal - and Lille messing us about in the mean time, with The Telegraph reporting earlier this week that the Ligue 1 side added £6m to their asking price just when the two clubs were 'close' to striking a deal.
The Telegraph reckon Botman is 'keen' on a move to Tyneside, which could still be the case even if we are second best, but is he interested enough to turn his back on AC Milan? That could be the deciding factor, providing we can agree a fee with Lille.
