Sven Botman congratulated Alexander Isak following his move from Newcastle United to Liverpool, so he will naturally be overjoyed to see the Swede join Anfield.
Newcastle centre-back Botman is a target for Liverpool and Chelsea, according to a new report from Caught Offside. But is it him? Honestly? probably.
Newcastle’s Sven Botman: key points
Botman’s “fantastic form” has reportedly caught the attention of Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool, with the latter signing Isak from Newcastle in the summer for a record transfer fee in English history.
Eddie Howe’s side will “do everything in their power to retain” the Dutch defender after losing their star striker to the Reds.
Interest in Botman was first reported by this website a few weeks ago, so if they keep knocking on that door, there must be some legitimacy to that link.
At first it was “Liverpool are interested”. After that, the rumors began to accelerate. ‘Liverpool want to repeat Isak’s move,’ ‘Isak on Liverpool’s list,’ ‘Significant developments regarding Liverpool and Chelsea transfer target expected in coming weeks,’ and the not-so-subtle ‘Liverpool and Chelsea want to sign 25-year-old Newcastle star,’ and now ‘Liverpool could make move for Chelsea target’ – they’re all included. We’ve found the offside headlines from the past three weeks.
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle “really want to keep” Botman. A source from CO said: “Due to a change in Newcastle’s sporting director, there has been a delay in finalizing a new contract for Botman.”
“However, signing Botman to a new contract is one of Ross Wilson’s top priorities. Newcastle are taking the situation calmly. They have no intention of selling him and he has not yet indicated he wants to leave.”
“(Arne) Slott thinks Botman is a good fit. Liverpool are keeping a close eye on him and could potentially move him.”
“Chelsea has been tracking Botman for some time.”
Read: Sandro Tonali sympathizes with Isak on future Newcastle admission, opens door to glittering Liverpool move
Botman makes sense for Chelsea and Liverpool
Whether that’s complete nonsense or true, Botman is undoubtedly a very smart signing for Chelsea, and a very smart signing for Liverpool as well.
Despite past injuries being a concern, it is clear that the former Lille defender is a top player and good enough to step up to become a Premier League title contender.
You can view it in two ways:
It makes it easier to make stuff up because it makes sense. It makes a lot of sense that there has to be an element of truth.
And to be completely honest, being caught offside being the only source of information doesn’t necessarily bode well.
Despite this, Chelsea’s defense has been plagued with injuries and despite spending huge sums of money, they still lack a world-class centre-half.
Botman isn’t world class yet, but he has the potential to be elite and could easily slot into Enzo Maresca’s best XI, especially in the absence of Levi Colwill.
It may be spine-tingling to see two left-footed centre-halves playing together, but if Botman were in blue, he and Colwill would form Maresca’s strongest partnership at the back.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are in desperate need of depth at centre-back even more than Chelsea.
Their top target is Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi. As we all know, the champions came agonizingly close to signing him on deadline day, in what would have been perhaps their biggest transfer miss of the 2025/26 season.
However, Gehi is now expected to leave Palace on a free transfer in the summer. It’s clear he won’t sign a new contract, but there’s a slight chance he’ll get a transfer fee in January.
Liverpool will likely face competition from Europe’s elite, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and potentially Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City.
They probably won’t sign Botman midway through the season. However, if Liverpool miss out on Guehi, it seems inevitable that a new feud will break out between the two rivals.
Newcastle player reunited with ‘brother’ Isaac at Liverpool?
Botman was one of the Newcastle players who wished Isaac well after the summer saga ended when the Swedish striker joined Liverpool for a staggering £125 million.
He said on Instagram: “What started as teammates has grown into one of my rare and best friendships. No further words needed, brother. Good luck in your next chapter.”
So he obviously wants to follow Isak to Liverpool…right?
We are certainly looking forward to seeing it for sale on some websites over the weekend.
The fact that he’s another Newcastle player that Liverpool reportedly want to sign is enticing enough, but this one is golden.
Read next: Ranking the PL’s 20 biggest summer transfers, from bad Liverpool players to Spurs aces after other Liverpool mistakes
