Nottingham Forest have been tipped to mark the opening of the summer transfer window with a triple raid on Brazilian club Botafogo.
Reports from Brazil suggest a £17 million deal for striker Igor Jesus is in the works. But it seems he might not be the only player in line to swap Rio de Janeiro for the City Ground.
In addition to making an offer for Jesus, the Reds are said to have put forward a bid for young central defender Jair. A third Botafogo player, left-back Cuiabano, is also said to be in their sights.
According to Brazilian publication Globo, Botafogo are “analysing” a “proposal” from Forest to sign 20-year-old Jair. The youngster only signed for the club in February, from Santos, but is said to have quickly caught the eye.
Botafogo paid in the region of £11.5m to snap him up earlier this year. The offer made by the Reds is said to be higher than that.
Jair, who stands at more than 6ft tall and came up through the ranks at Santos, is viewed as a promising talent. He has represented Brazil at youth level and also has 10 league appearances with Botafogo under his belt.
Fellow Brazilian Cuiabano, meanwhile, joined Botafogo from Gremio in April 2024. Brighton and Hove Albion have previously been credited with an interest in the 22-year-old, who has been a regular starter in Brazil.
Sport Witness quote Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola as saying Forest “want to clean up Botafogo” by snapping up three of their prized assets. However, it is pointed out the Reds would not necessarily be planning to hang on to all three players - at least initially.
Greek giants Olympiacos and Portuguese side Rio Ave, like Forest, are owned by Evangelos Marinakis. It is claimed a loan to one of Marinakis’ other clubs could be a possibility, if the Botafogo trio put pen to paper Trentside.
Nicola is quoted as saying: “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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The Reds already have a strong Brazilian contingent in place at the City Ground. Goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, defenders Murillo and Morato and midfielder Danilo are all part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.
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