Newcastle United’s hopes of landing Sven Botman could be dealt a blow as a result of the Lille president’s fight for survival. As reported by French outlet Le10Sport , Olivier Létang’s future as the club’s president remains in the balance after the departure of manager Jocelyn Gourvennec last week.
Relations between Letang and his superiors have gone frosty after the club failed to qualify for Europe just one season after winning Ligue 1. The appointment of new manager Paulo Fonseca is being led by fellow director Alessandro Barnaba rather than Letang, who is becoming increasingly on the fringes of decision-making processes within the club.
The club’s finances have also been a huge point of concern, and Letang could use that concern as means to regain confidence from the Lille board - much to Newcastle’s demise. The club’s two main assets - Sven Botman and Renato Sanches - have been tipped for a summer move, with Dutch centre-back Botman being eyed by the Magpies.
READ MORE: Sven Botman in 'relax mode' but transfer target has already given Newcastle owners encouragement
But both players have also been subject to interest from Paris Saint-Germain, and if Letang can use the opportunity to either sell to PSG or drive the price up for the likes of Newcastle, then it could save him.
“Expected at the turn of the transfer window, Olivier Létang hopes to take advantage of the good sales on the program to save his head.” le10sport wrote. “The Renato Sanches – Sven Botman pack is front and center. AC Milan, managed by the same financiers as LOSC, thought they could take advantage of these behind-the-scenes links to win business.
“But PSG is coming… As revealed exclusively by us, Renato Sanches is the target of the Parisians, who will send an offer imminently. And the file is so far in favor of the club now managed by a certain Luis Campos. Lille should recover a little more than 20 million euros for Renato Sanches and hope much more for Sven Botman, also courted by Paris!”
Whether Letang uses PSG’s interest as a decoy to drive up the price for Botman remains to be seen, but if Newcastle seriously want the 22-year-old - and the intensity of interest suggests they do - then they may have to increase their budget slightly.
Eddie Howe will be desperate to get one marquee centre-back in early before pre-season training starts in July, and will then likely look for at least one more before the Premier League kicks off at the start of August.
