Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are just two of the clubs linked with Sven Botman in recent months.
However, TuttoMercatoWeb has now reported that Manchester United have joined the Magpies and Spurs in the race.
Back in January, Newcastle tried hard to sign the Lille star, but couldn’t get a deal over the line.
And in February, the Sunday Mirror (27/2; page 70) claimed Tottenham were desperate to win the race for Botman.
Now, AC Milan have become frontrunners to land the 22-year-old.
However, TuttoMercatoWeb has made clear that the race for Botman isn’t over.
The Italian outlet – via Sport Witness – claims that ‘for Botman, the priority remains Milan.
MORE TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR STORIES
‘But without the acceleration, he could decide to go elsewhere soon.’
The Serie A champions have reportedly reached an agreement with the player.
However, they have yet to do so with Lille over the €30m (£25m) transfer fee.
And while their takeover is underway, ‘closure will not come’ over the Netherlands defender.
Therefore, this could well present an opportunity to the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Indeed, while the Magpies ‘are serious’ about the centre-back, other clubs ‘have joined’ the race.
Among them are Manchester United, who could do with bolstering their defensive ranks.
The Red Devils have just brought Erik ten Hag – Botman’s fellow countryman – to Old Trafford.
“Something every top club wants”
Botman is one of the most talented centre-backs in Europe right now.
He is a “machine” – in Lille star Jose Fonte’s words – and looks to have an incredibly high ceiling.
Therefore, it’s not surprising that, if there’s even a sliver of an opportunity to still sign him, clubs are willing to pounce.
Scouting website Breaking the Lines wrote a detailed article about Botman’s style of play in April 2021.
‘Botman isn’t the smoothest defender blessed with immense acceleration and a calming presence,’ they wrote.
‘But he is an excellent 18-yard box defender, who will do anything to prevent the opposition from scoring.
‘To add to his aerial ability, Botman is comfortable in possession, particularly when playing it short.
‘His positional awareness is exceptional, and he always seems to be in the right place at the right time to sweep away the attempts of the opposition, something that is hard to quantify using statistics.
‘Furthermore, Botman is left-footed, which is a rarity amongst centre-backs, and hence he is extremely valuable.
‘Just like fellow Ligue 1 defender Facundo Medina, Botman’s value will increase simply because he is left-footed, as it’s something that every top club wants.’