Evangelos Marinakis is looking to complete a triple swoop on Botafogo, with two Brazilian gems set to join Igor Jesus at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest are in advanced talks with Igor Jesus over a move to the Premier League, with any deal set to come into effect after Botafogo compete in the Club World Cup.
Although Botafogo owner John Textor is expecting more bids for Jesus, it’s hard to imagine that Marinakis would give up without a fight for the 24-year-old striker.
Textor looks to be okay with losing Jesus, but he will be sick of the sight of the Forest owner, who is now looking to complete a remarkable raid on the Brazilian side’s top talents.
Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by PABLO PORCIUNCULA/AFP via Getty Images
Igor Jesus could be joined by two Botafogo teammates at Nottingham Forest
Botafogo fans aren’t happy with Jesus leaving, but things are only set to get worse for them as top journalist Jorge Nicola has suggested that Forest are also keen to bring Jair Cunha and Cuiabano to the Premier League.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Nicola said: “I told you exclusively on Thursday afternoon that Igor Jesus had an offer from Nottingham Forest, remember? Well, there are two other players who are also in the English club’s sights: Jair and Cuiabano.
“Igor Jesus, Jair and Cuiabano, the three are targets of Nottingham Forest. The English club intends to sign the trio in the coming days. And even if they are not all used by Nottingham Forest, they may end up being loaned out within Evangelos Marinakis’ group.”
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It would be quite the swoop, but all three are players who would fill the areas of the Forest squad that most need addressing.
Jair Cunha is a six-foot-five centre back who, at 20 years old, could follow a very similar trajectory to Murillo, while Cuiabano is a left-back who could replace Alex Moreno as competition for Neco Williams.
The sudden, aggressive move towards the Brazilian market may have come as a surprise, but the work of one man behind the scenes at the City Ground could explain the tactic.
Nottingham Forest’s Brazilian raid hints at Edu Gaspar influence
It is expected that Edu Gaspar will start working for Forest this summer, and this move to poach Brazil’s top talents looks to have his fingerprints all over it.
Edu will help Marinakis buy a Brazilian club, with his strong connections in his home nation providing value to the Greek businessman, who also looks to be benefiting from a Forest-specific perspective.
Already, Jesus has starred for the Brazil national team and the potential of Jair especially suggests that a move to European football could fast-track his chances of making an impact internationally.
With the suggestion that Jair and Cuiabano could be used to bolster the other sides in the Marinakis stable, bringing Edu into the fold is looking to be a stroke of genius.