Botafogo fans react after hearing Nottingham Forest have agreed to sign Igor Jesus

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Nottingham Forest are edging closer to their first summer signing, with Botafogo striker Igor Jesus close to an agreement with the club.

Forest are in advanced talks to sign Jesus after being interested in the Brazilian in the January transfer window. Jesus rejected Forest back in the winter, but the deal is now looking likely.

Botafogo chief John Textor is expecting more bids for Jesus after the upcoming Club World Cup, with Forest forced to wait until after the tournament to potentially secure the striker.

Regardless of his destination, though, Botafogo fans have not taken the news well, voicing their disappointment on social media.

Botafogo fans react to Igor Jesus’ Nottingham Forest rumours

Igor Jesus will forever be a Botafogo legend thanks to his heroics in the Copa Libertadores, being part of the team that won the competition for the first time back in 2024.

This will be one of the reasons that his departure will hurt so much, with the fans taking to social media to react to the news of Evangelos Marinakis’ raid.

One fan said: “The team is going to lose its best players. […] Unfortunately, this year will be about survival. I hope I am wrong.” Another added: “The reality is that if Igor Jesus is sold, the season is over, there is no other player like him in the world.”

Another Botafogo fan said: “It’s amazing that we can’t maintain a backbone,” with another saying: “Selling Igor Jesus for that kind of money is a rip-off.”

One Botafogo supporter added: “The worst thing is that, because of Igor Jesus’ age, it’s very difficult to find someone with almost the same characteristics.” Another said: “Selling Igor Jesus for €20m is a huge waste, how much would it cost to replace one of, if not the best, centre forward in America?”

His importance to Botafogo is undeniable, with his stats showing that the Brazilian side will find it almost impossible to replace Jesus.

Igor Jesus will be irreplaceable for Botafogo if he moves to Forest

Forest already have Chris Wood up front to provide regular goals in the Premier League, but Jesus’ attacking statistics for Botafogo suggest that he has the potential to provide real competition.

Nine games into the Serie A season, Jesus has scored three goals, which doesn’t seem impressive, but his underlying numbers hint at a striker who is incredibly active.

Jesus registers 1.5 shots on target per 90, as well as creating 1.6 chances per game, showing that he can offer both aspects to Forest’s attack in a way that Wood cannot.

He also has an impressive dribble success rate, whilst winning 7.09 duels which is actually more than Wood has managed in the Premier League.

Botafogo’s loss would clearly be Forest’s gain, with Jesus potentially offering the ideal alternative to the elite poaching instincts of Wood.