Newcastle rebuff Bayer Leverkusen enquiry for Sven Botman | OneFootball

Newcastle United defender Sven Botman is attracting interest from Bayer Leverkusen.

They enquired about snapping him up from the Magpies as a potential replacement for Piero Hincapie.

However, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have no interest in selling the 25-year-old before the transfer window closes.

Botman is behind Dan Burn and Fabian Schar in the pecking order. He is yet to make a Premier League appearance for the Magpies this term after just 11 outings last year.

Injuries have plagued Botman’s time at Newcastle, and Leverkusen were trying to take advantage of the situation to sign him.

However, manager Eddie Howe will be reluctant to let Botman go this summer.

He is already short of options and won’t want to deplete his squad, especially with the transfer deadline approaching.

Newcastle have signed Malick Thiaw from AC Milan, but he also has a questionable injury history, leaving the Magpies with no choice but to block Botman’s exit.

The Dutchman has been plagued by injuries since arriving at St James’ Park, limiting his impact and leaving Howe constantly short at the back.

However, Newcastle’s poor record in the transfer window means they cannot afford the gamble of selling without a proven replacement lined up.

They pursued Marc Guehi in the January transfer window and this summer, but were unable to secure a deal. The club has faced the same issue with multiple transfer targets.