Newcastle agree £36m deal with Lille for Botman ending six month chase

Newcastle United have significant financial backing having been bought by Saudi Arabia-backed consortium but boss Eddie Howe has always played down a massive transfer splurge on new players during the summer transfer window.

Howe has acknowledged the club are only interested in deals which represent value for money and their bid to make an assault on the big boys in the Premier League will be a gradual process

Newcastle have already landed left-back Matt Targett from Aston Villa and snapped up goalkeeper Nick Pope from Burnley but that is unlikely to be the end of their business. Mirror Sport has rounded up all the latest Newcastle transfer news and rumours.

Botman deal agreed

Newcastle have moved closer to landing their top transfer target Sven Botman under the noses of Milan, Mirror Football understands. Lille have accepted the Toon's offer for the Dutch U21 defender ending a six month chase.

Newcastle are paying around £36m for the talented youngster. Sources in Milan claim Newcastle have beaten the Serie A champions to agree a deal with the French club with the price agreed on Thursday night.

Botman was a target for Eddie Howe in January any expressed his wish to keep the deal alive. But in recent weeks he has been tempted by Milan's interest. Lille have told him them need to sell to Newcastle and to get the deal done, and he will now hold talks to agree personal terms.

Earlier this week Newcastle signed Nicky Pope and the latest deal will take their spending to £63m.

Operation Barbosa

New Toon director of football Dan Ashworth will be the man who has the final say on whether the Magpies will re-kindle their interest in Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa, nicknamed 'Gabigol'. The Tynesiders tried in January to prize the 25-year-old away from South America but ultimately failed to land their man. Ashworth has taken over the reins at St James's Park and is working through a list of his own as he attempts to put a stamp on proceedings. But according to Give Me Sport conversations already having taken place over a £25m move for the forward, it now will depend on the assessment of England's former technical director as to whether the club presses ahead with any move.

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Toon in for Diabe

With Hugo Ekitike now set to join the ranks of the monied elite at Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle will reportedly turn their attentions elsewhere. The Reims man was high on the wanted list but a move for the striker has re-ignited interest in Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diabe according to Sky Sports Germany. Ironically, the 22-year-old was on the books at PSG before his move to Germany where he enjoyed a stellar return last term during his breakthrough season in the Bundesliga. Leverkusen have a rich history for finding talent, polishing it and then selling it on for a huge profit but may be pushing their luck by asking a huge Euro60m fee for Diabe. However, the forward has just finished playing for Les Bleus during his Nations League stint for France and is pushing himself forward at exactly the right time. That valuation is way north of any interest that the Toon have in him at the moment and serious compromise would need to take place for it to turn into anything concrete.

Doubts over Darlow and Dubravka

Nick Pope's signing from Burnley has had an obvious knock-on effect on the pecking order of the goalkeepers. Pope will be banking on a strong start to the Premier League campaign to cement his place in England's World Cup squad this winter. Playing with a relegation-threatened side has given him a chance to showcase his talents but with Eddie Howe's new-look side carrying high hopes going into this campaign, the former Charlton Athletic shot-stopper will be banking on the increased exposure thrusting him into the mix alongside Everton 's Jordan Pickford and Arsenal 's Aaron Ramsdale. But what now for the other keepers?

Martin Dubravka, still has three seasons left to run on the six-year deal he agreed with the club back in 2019 and will expect to be Pope's main rival for the number one jersey. That means a potential loan move for Karl Darlow who now finds himself as third-choice. Championship clubs are interested, according to the Shields Gazette and Mirror Sport understands Middlesbrough could be a destination for the former Nottingham Forest man who also has a lengthy deal to see out. With Newcastle entering a new phase in their history, Howe would like to keep three experienced keepers on his books. However, Darlow is sure to be keen to want to play and may either be allowed to leave temporarily, potentially with a claw-back if the Magpies do suffer injuries to Pope and Dubravka.