BARCA JOIN RACE FOR HIGHLY IN-DEMAND DEFENDER

If there's one player that's currently being monitored by a lot of players at the moment, it's Lille defender Sven Botman. The Netherlands international defender is having a fantastic season with the French club and is on the cusp of guiding them to their first French Ligue 1 title in a very long time. Botman and Lille are currently on the verge of ending Paris Saint-Germain's title-winning streak and they only need to win their last league match to ensure that they have the league title in the bag.

However, this could be the last season Botman will be playing for Lille, as he has been linked with a host of top clubs across Europe's top 5 leagues. The central defender has attracted interest from Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Inter Milan.

He now has a huge decision to make at the end of the season regarding whether or not he wants to continue his stay in France with Lille or he would want to taste the adventure of playing in another club in a different league. The 21-year-old recently said in an interview that he has been very flattered by the rumors that have been linking him with a move to some of these big clubs and said that it is a sign that he's doing a good job.

He also said he admires the English Premier League a lot because they play the kind of football that he likes, and that could be a huge boost to Manchester United who have been contemplating on who to sign to strengthen their squad this summer.

Barca recently joined the queue for Botman's signature and signing the ditch defender would mean that the Catalan giants are already planning for the future as the likes of Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba continue to approach the tail-end of their careers.