An exciting Newcastle United transfer update has emerged, regarding Lille centre-back Sven Botman...

What's the talk?

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, the Magpies are 'exploring' the possibility of a deal and the Ligue 1 outfit could be tempted to cash in on him the January window.

He Tweeted: "Newcastle United exploring possibility of signing Sven Botman from Lille in Jan. #LOSC want to keep defender until summer but may consider sale if exceptional offer arrives. 21yo among leading #NUFC targets but would take big fee + salary."

Excitement

Newcastle fans will surely be excited by this update as it shows the club are serious about going out and signing a top defender to bolster the squad.

Whether or not they will be able to get the deal done or not remains to be seen, but this update - at the very least - shows that PIF mean business and are prepared to pursue high-end players in January.

Botman falls under this category due to the nature of his performances for Lille in the last 18 months and the potential he still has. Last season, he averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.08 as they won the Ligue 1 title and he played in 37 of their 38 league matches.

This term, he has averaged a score of 6.93 in ten appearances while winning an impressive 68% of his duels and completing 86% of his passes. These statistics from the last two campaigns show that he has been a consistent performer at the back and been able to maintain a high level in the French top-flight, suggesting that he has the ability to come across to the Premier League and succeed if he can adjust to English football.

At the age of just 21, he also has plenty of room left for growth and development. He has time on his side to improve as a player and reach the very top of the game, having already achieved plenty before turning 22 - winning a league title and becoming a regular for Lille.

This is why Newcastle fans will be beaming with excitement that the club are targeting him. He could be a superb addition to Eddie Howe's squad in the short-term, given his performances in France, and long-term, because of his potential. Thus, PIF must work hard to get a deal over the line in January.

AND in other news, PIF must seal NUFC deal for "unbelievable" £25m "warrior" who "plays like a soldier"...