West Ham set to jump the queue ahead of Newcastle as David Moyes makes defender No 1 target

West Ham are set to jump Newcastle in the queue for Sven Botman after David Moyes made the defender his No 1 target, according to a report.

The Toon are expected to go back in for Botman, 22, this summer following their transfer tussle with Lille in January. His performances have earned him a lot of admirers from across Europe.

And it appears the Hammers are now one of them, because they are preparing an early approach once the window re-opens.

That’s according to the Northern Echo, who claim Moyes has made the Dutch under-21 international his prime objective.

What’s more, the London Stadium hierarchy are prepared to heavily back their manager in the market.

Whether they’d be able to contend with Newcastle’s financial firepower is another question, though.

Their chief Amanda Staveley suggested Botman was “desperate” for a move to St James’ Park last month.

She said: “We were 19th going into the window. So we had that, an illiquid market and the complexity of Covid-19, which meant clubs didn’t want to sell because they didn’t know where their squads would end up.

“We had to encourage players. ‘We’ll be a safe place for you, we’ll deliver and grow’.

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“Some desperately wanted to come to us, like Sven, who still does very much and has talked very openly about that.”

However, since then AC Milan look to have moved into pole position for the centre-back’s signature.

The Italian club, who are title contenders in Serie A, have a five-year deal prepared for him. That has edged them ahead of the Magpies.

Botman would be welcome West Ham addition

West Ham will therefore need to act with urgency to convince Botman the Premier League should be his next destination.

Moyes has identified the left side of the heart of his defence as a position of need.

Multiple injuries at the back in recent months have left the Scotsman light of options.

So Botman would be a very welcome addition to provide competition for Kurt Zouma, Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop.

He himself has struggled with injuries this season following Lille’s title-winning campaign. That has limited him to 27 appearances across all competitions.

With his current deal up in 2025, Botman seems destined for the exit door. Where to remains the question to be answered.

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