Sven Botman's latest comments hint at where his future lies as Newcastle United and AC Milan await decision

The 22-year-old has been a top target for the Magpies since last year with Eddie Howe keen to bolster his defensive line.

Newcastle tried and failed to sign Botman in January as talks with Lille failed to progress. The Dutch defender is set to leave Lille this summer with AC Milan also in talks.

"I don’t know [if I have played my last game for Lille] but I think so,” Botman told Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad. “I intend to take a step. Talks are underway now.

"I won’t go into all of that, but it’s going well. I do hope that the transfer for the new season is completed. Preferably also for the pre-season, yes.”

While The Magpies have recently been boosted by the arrival of sporting director Dan Ashworth to oversee the recruitment process, Botman has recently spoken publicly about a potential move to Milan.

When asked about a potential move to the Serie A champions, Botman couldn’t help but smirk as he told ESPN (translated from Dutch): “AC Milan deal? We are working on that.

"It’s difficult for me to stay distant from things at the moment, I hear something about this almost every day. Things are in progress and I hope there will be more clarity before the pre-season.”

Botman is currently away on international duty with Netherlands Under-21s and a decision is expected on his future once he returns next week.

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