Lille have decided to keep Sven Botman until the end of the season despite receiving an official bid from Newcastle United.
As per Milan News, LOSC Lille President Olivier Letang has ruled out Botman leaving his club in January.
“We were already asked for Sven last summer, but we were clear: we need him for this season,” he said.
“We are making a move also in the Champions League, where we qualified for the second round as top of the group.
“There are some important goals for this second part of the year, so Botman will stay with us to pursue them until the end of the season.”
The Netherlands U21 international has become a key player for the Ligue 1 side and played a crucial role in helping Les Dogues become French champions last season for the first time in 10 years.
Sky Sports reported that Newcastle’s £29.3 million bid for the Botman was rejected and will now have to turn their attention elsewhere in their search for centre-back.
Milan are in desperate need of a defensive signing given that Fikayo Tomori has joined Alessio Romagnoli and Simon Kjær on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery. However, Botman is no longer a viable target.
Despite being Group G winners in the Champions League, Lille have failed to replicate last season’s domestic success.
They are currently 10th in the Ligue 1 table, 22 points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
Lille will hope that retaining Botman will help them upset Chelsea when the two sides clash in the Champions League round of 16 on February 22.
