AC MILAN have beaten Newcastle United to the signing of Sven Botman, with the Serie A side having agreed the outline terms of a deal for the Lille centre-half.

Botman is understood to have reached a verbal agreement with AC Milan officials over a summer move to the San Siro, dashing Newcastle’s hopes of resurrecting talks of their own.

The Magpies made two unsuccessful offers for the 22-year-old in January, with Lille rejecting both of the club’s bids, which were around the £30m mark.

Botman was keen to move to St James’ Park, with Newcastle director, Amanda Staveley, stating earlier this year that the Dutchman was still interested in a possible summer switch to Tyneside.

That now looks extremely unlikely, with AC Milan having agreed a deal with Lille that will see them pay an initial sum of around €33m this summer, with a number of clauses potentially taking the fee much higher in the next few years.

Milan will offer Botman a five-year deal worth around €3.5m-per-season, and while the defender is aware of Newcastle’s ongoing interest, all the indications suggest he will be playing in Serie A next season rather than the Premier League.

His impending move to Italy is a blow to the Magpies’ recruitment team, who made the centre-half their number one defensive target at the end of last year. Newcastle are unlikely to revive their interest in Sevilla’s Diego Carlos, who was also the subject of strong interest in January, but Eddie Howe remains determined to strengthen his central-defensive ranks in the close season.

Where that leaves Jamaal Lascelles remains to be seen, with the Magpies skipper having found himself shuffled to the substitutes’ bench in recent months.

With Dan Burn and Fabian Schar established as Newcastle’s first-choice central-defensive pairing, Lascelles has only made one start since early February, with his absence from the starting line-up leading to understandable questions about his future.

The skipper insists he maintains a positive relationship with Howe, and while it is hardly a surprise that he would like to be back in the team, he understands why he has found himself on the sidelines in recent weeks.

“It’s one of those things,” said Lascelles, who is contracted to the Magpies until the summer of 2024. “I’ve got a great relationship with the manager. We speak a lot.

“I played against Everton at home and we won, so it wasn’t like I’m out of the team because he’s dragged me and said I’m not good enough. I’m just happy the team is doing well.

“I’m training hard, I’m trying to drive what he wants in training as much as I can, and I just want to see us creep up the table.”

With Newcastle’s Saudi Arabia-backed ownership group expected to invest significant sums in the summer, it is inevitable that some current members of the first-team squad will fall by the wayside.

Having been part of the squad that won promotion from the Championship under Rafael Benitez, Lascelles has experienced plenty of highs and lows during his time on Tyneside, so while he accepts there will be changes over the next few seasons, the 28-year-old is excited at the prospect of how Newcastle might grow and develop.

“I’d love to stay as long as possible. Who wouldn’t? I’m the captain of the club and with where things are going at the minute, it’s a fantastic thing to be a part of,” he said.

“Everyone is desperate to stay and be a part of it, and I think everyone involved in Newcastle at the minute is in a good situation.

“You see all these superstars getting linked to Newcastle, but how true they all are? We’re not stupid. Things can’t just happen overnight, but at the same time it is possible for it to be like that in the future.

“Even just being a part of Newcastle is just a great thing at the minute, and it will be interesting to see how things turn out next year and the few years after that.”