A promising Newcastle transfer claim has been made, regarding the club's attempts to land a defensive duo...

What's the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Pete Graves has delivered updates on the Magpies' efforts to sign Lucas Digne and Sven Botman this month.

He Tweeted: "Understand #nufc made superb offers for Botman and Digne. So far Lille determined to keep Botman while Digne remains unsure. Remember there's still a long way to go in the window. Wood will be the second signing of the new regime. Buyout in region of £20m."

Hope for Howe

This claim from Graves will surely give Eddie Howe hope heading into the next few weeks of the transfer window, with this Tweet leaving the door open on Botman.

The fact that the club made 'superb' offers for both players will also delight the fans, as it shows that PIF are not missing out through a lack of effort. They are working hard to reinforce the squad and address key areas, firmly putting their money where their mouth is.

Unfortunately, clubs now know that Newcastle are in a desperate position where they need to buy to help them avoid relegation to the Championship and this could lead to overinflated prices. Teams can raise their valuations by £5m-£10m or more because they know that the Magpies need to move quickly and will have to make decisive calls.

However, it does not appear as though the Botman deal is completely dead in the water just yet. This means that Howe can still hold hope for the Dutchman arriving at St. James' Park this month, which will delight him as he could be an excellent addition to his squad.

The centre-back has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.72 in Ligue 1 after managing a score of 6.99 in Ligue 1 last term. At the age of 22, he has been able to show strong levels of consistency and could have the potential to improve further over the years, which could make him a great signing for Newcastle in the short and long-term.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wood: Romano drops big NUFC transfer claim that'll infuriate Hammond...