Dutch defender Botman headed to Newcastle in €37M deal; Chelsea offer for De Ligt rejected

Netherlands defender Sven Botman is almost certainly on his way to the English Premier League. It was reported on Saturday that Newcastle United had agreed on a fee with Botman’s present club, Lille, from France. Newcastle is to pay 37 million euros with possible add-ons later.

According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, the personal terms between Botman and Newcastle have also been agreed upon, with a medical already booked for early next week. If Botman passes the medical, the transfer will be finalized and announced.

This will be Newcastle’s third-ever highest fee paid for a player and the third-highest fee Lille has ever received for a player.

Botman was called up for The Netherlands national team for the first time in November 2020 but has yet to play a game for Oranje. He will be hoping that this move to what is considered the best league in the world will help his cause to make the 2022 World Cup Squad.

In other news, it was reported on Saturday that a transfer offer from Chelsea for Matthijs de Ligt had been rejected by his club Juventus. According to DiMarzio, Chelsea’s first offer was considered too low. Chelsea plans on making an improved offer in the coming days of 40 to 45 million euros, and German striker Timo Werner also offered as a trade.

The 22-year-old from Leiderdorp joined Juventus in July 2019 from Ajax. His time at Juventus has been regarded by many as unsuccessful. The club has dropped in league position in the last few seasons from first to fourth. De Ligt has played 38 times for The Netherlands national team.