Newcastle rebuff Bayer Leverkusen enquiry for Sven Botman | OneFootball

Newcastle United defender Sven Botman is subject to interest from Bayer Leverkusen.

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

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, Newcastle have no interest in selling the 25-year-old before the close of the transfer window, rebuffing their advances.

Botman finds himself 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 likely trying to take advantage of the situation to sign him.

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

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

Newcastle have added 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.

In an ideal world, Newcastle would cut ties with Botman, who earns £90,000 per week, and reinvest in a more reliable defender this summer.

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

Leverkusen’s interest highlights that there is still market value in him.

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 Toons faced the same issue with multiple transfer targets.

Ideally, Newcastle should move Botman on, but in reality, they’re too stretched defensively and incapable in the market to take that risk.