Newcastle United finally agree deal with Lille for Dutch centre-back Sven Botman

Newcastle United have brought an end to a nine-month pursuit to a successful conclusion after beating Italian champions AC Milan to the signing of centre-back Sven Botman.

The Holland Under-21 international has been Newcastle's No 1 defensive target since January when the club had two bids turned down.

As revealed by Telegraph Sport last week, Newcastle had issued a 'take it or leave it' ultimatum to Lille after they raised the asking price to £37 million at the last minute following weeks of talks.

The ultimatum was an attempt to break the deadlock, which has lasted weeks and Newcastle made it clear to all involved on Monday that they were already looking at alternative targets.

With AC Milan unable to match Newcastle’s offer, it now appears the French club have accepted a fee close to the £30m Newcastle offered last month.

Botman is due to fly to England for a medical in the next few days and has been offered a five-year contract. Personal terms, which had been largely thrashed out in January, should not be a problem.

Interestingly, Botman was a unanimous choice from all those involved in recruitment meetings earlier this year, with manager Eddie Howe and chief scout Steve Nickson both convinced he has the physical attributes to succeed in the Premier League.

Although there were claims in Italy that the 21-year-old has his heart set on a move to Milan, he has always wanted the Newcastle move and was merely waiting for Lille to accept a bid.

The arrival of the former Ajax prospect makes it a successful week for Newcastle who have also landed goalkeeper Nick Pope from Burnley for £10m.

Newcastle will now turn their attention to signing a wide forward and a striker with a move for Reims teenager Hugo Ekitike continuing to stall.

Telegraph Sport understands that there is around £40-50m remaining of the summer budget but attempts to boost the kitty through player sales have been frustrated so far. Although a number of players have been made available for transfer, including Dwight Gayle, Jeff Hendrick, Matt Ritchie and Karl Darlow, there has only been interest in taking them on loan from Championship clubs.