West Ham United boss Graham Potter has seemingly made his intentions clear in the transfer window after turning one star down, opening the door to a key arrival - with Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor seemingly closing in on a move to the English capital.
West Ham have had a quiet window so far, with four first-team signings in the form of last season's loan star Jean-Clair Todibo being added to with moves to full-back duo El Hadji Malick Diouf and Kyle Walker-Peters, as well as veteran forward Callum Wilson on a free transfer. However, they have lost Mohammed Kudus to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and that money could be reinvested in someone such as John and Shakhtar Donetsk star Georgiy Sudakov.
Romano: West Ham 'in Advanced Talks' to Sign John Victor
The Hammers are looking for competition for Alphonse Areola
John Victor
The report by Fabrizio Romano on X (formerly Twitter) states that despite Stoke City goalkeeper, Viktor
Johansson, being able to leave the Championship club over the summer, and West Ham considering a move for his services, they have snubbed a deal - with Botafogo stopper John being at the 'advanced talks' stage as they look for a new long-term goalkeeper, picking out the 'phenomenal' star.
The Irons saw long-serving stopper Lukasz Fabianski depart in the summer after seven years at the club, in which he was their first-choice goalkeeper for five seasons before the arrival of Alphonse Areola in 2022, where the Frenchman took the reins between the sticks at the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
John Victor's career statistics - record by club
Club
Botafogo
Santos
Internacional
Real Valladolid
That has left veteran Englishman, Wes Foderingham, as the second-choice stopper at the London Stadium for now, with young Hungarian Krisztian Hegyi as third-choice - but with no experience in top European or English football, he's not expected to remain in that role for a while.
John, 29, has spent almost his entire career in his home nation, barring a loan spell to La Liga outfit Real Valladolid in the 2023/24 campaign, but it was his outings at the Club World Cup over the summer that have massively impressed clubs across the globe - with Everton and Manchester United previously taking a look at acquiring his talents.
As a result, a move to the Premier League and West Ham in particular could emerge, after Romano tweeted that the Brazilian was the subject of a formal bid worth £6.8million on Friday, and that could be accelerated after turning down a move for Johansson.
Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 04-08-25.
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