Aston Villa are reportedly ready to rival fellow Premier League side Newcastle United for the signing of LOSC Lille centre-back Sven Botman.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Aston Villa are in the market for a centre-back signing and have identified LOSC Lille central defender Sven Botman as a possible signing among other options. But they are not alone in the Dutchman’s pursuit, with Newcastle United and AC Milan also showing interest in him.
Aston Villa have already wrapped up the signing of Brazilian defender Diego Carlos. But it looks like Aston Villa could enter the market for another centre-back in the summer transfer window amid the inconsistencies of Ezri Konsa. At the same time, Kortney Hause faces an uncertain future at Villa Park, prompting the Villans to consider signing another central defender.
Aston Villa are thus monitoring other options as well, and Sven Botman is one of them. The Dutch defender joined LOSC Lille from Ajax in the 2020 summer window and quickly became the club’s first-choice centre-back, making 47 appearances across competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit as Lille romped to become the French champions ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.
Though Les Dogues have failed to defend the Ligue 1 title, the 22-year-old Botman has continued to impress. He has played 32 matches in the 2021/22 season, scoring three times and assisting a goal as well.
The youngster is an old-fashioned centre-back who uses his height to good advantage and can dominate duels with ease. But that also means that he could struggle on the turn and in containing fast runners, a shortcoming he would want to work on.
Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski is on Aston Villa’s transfer radar as well, with the English international’s contract with the Clarets expiring next month. Newcastle United are in the fray for Tarkowski’s signature as well.
As for Newcastle’s pursuit of Botman, the Magpies tried to sign the young Dutch defender in the January transfer window, but Lille held firmly to their prized asset. Newcastle remain in the hunt to land Botman, but emerging competition from Aston Villa could complicate matters, especially with AC Milan already fancying their chances of landing the 22-year-old.
