John Victor is finally heading to the Premier League – but not to West Ham, as many expected earlier in the window. Instead, the goalkeeper has been sold by Botafogo to Nottingham Forest, in a deal finalised this Friday.
Fabrizio Romano was first to break the news, but Brazilian journalistVenê Casagrande reported the detailed sum: the deal is worth €8m for 80% of the player’s rights, with Botafogo retaining a 20% sell-on stake, in a four year deal.
According to reports fromGlobo Esporte andESPN Brazil, the agreement was struck between the clubs in recent hours. John was left out of training and has already been cleared to join up with his new side.
The transfer adds to the recent flow of players from the Brazilian club to Nottingham Forest, following the moves of Igor Jesus and Jair, both of whom were teammates of John during Botafogo’s successful 2024 campaign.
Earlier this month, John came close to joining West Ham, only for thedeal to fall apart at the last minute – reportedly due to a change in salary terms. At the time, he made public statements about “choosing to stay” and “living for Botafogo”, but the club had already signed Neto from Bournemouth as his replacement.
Despite the public comments, sources in Brazil point out that John’s ambition to play in the Premier League never really faded. With Forest now offering a new path – and a more stable negotiation – the move finally aligned with both his career goals and Botafogo’s market plans.
It’s also worth noting that the transfer further reinforces the connection between John Textor and Evangelos Marinakis, owners of Botafogo and Forest, respectively – a relationship that’s clearly influencing transfer activity between the two clubs.
John now becomes the third recent Botafogo name to join the English side, and finally gets his Premier League opportunity. Just not with the club that almost got him there first.