Newcastle United defeated seven-time European Cup winners AC Milan in the race to sign Sven Botman. Yes, you read that right. One year on from the Hamza Choudhury saga, when Toon chiefs refused to sanction a £1million loan fee to sign the Leicester City midfielder, the Magpies - bolstered by new Saudi-backed ownership - clinched one of the continent’s top prospects.
A long-winded saga stretching back to January will conclude this week, with Botman passing his medical ahead of a £32million move. Supporters will be relieved the saga is over as United wrestled with the Italian giants for six months before finally landing their man. Getting Botman over the line could prove the catalyst to inspire further marquee signings towards Tyneside.
The January window saw Newcastle, for the most part, turn towards established Premier League stars to get the club out of trouble. Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Chris Wood provided a solid core to the squad and were already acclimatised to English football. Bruno Guimaraes was the eye-catching arrival as the Magpies staved off interest from Arsenal to sign the Brazilian.
