Nottingham Forest look set to complete a triple-signing from Botafogo to start the transfer window with a bang, but another Premier League club is threatening one part of the raid.
What started as Forest’s interest in Igor Jesus quickly turned into a unique deal, as Evangelos Marinakis set out to sign three of Botafogo’s top stars in one fell swoop.
Jair Cunha and Cuiabano are the two in question, and Forest looked set to complete the Botafogo raid with Jesus’ arrival at the City Ground imminent.
Less was known about when the other two would complete their deals, but one is now in jeopardy due to interest from a rival Premier League side, according to reports from Brazil.
Brighton aim to spoil Nottingham Forest’s triple Botafogo coup
Nottingham Forest News shared that Forest will pay £33.6m to sign all three Botafogo stars, in what has the potential to be a remarkable piece of business by Marinakis if all three find their feet in the Premier League.
However, Cuiabano may not be acclimatising to English football with Forest, with O Globo reporting that Brighton want to hijack the Reds’ deal for the left-back.
The report said: “John Textor has been personally negotiating the sale of Cuiabano, just as he did with striker Igor Jesus, who has already signed with Forest, and defender Jair, who is almost signed with the same English club.
“What sets the full-back apart is the competition from Brighton, who are very insistent on signing him.
“So far, two proposals have been presented by the English [Brighton]: one for five million euros [£4.2m] fixed and another two million in bonuses, totalling seven million euros (around R$44 million), and another with three million euros for targets, which would give R$51 million. Both were rejected by Botafogo’s board.
“Behind the scenes, it is understood that Cuiabano’s market value is around 10 to 12 million euros [£9.2m], that is, between R$64 million and R$76 million. Brighton are expected to make a new offer in the coming days.”
The Forest owner won’t be best pleased that his Botafogo raid is suddenly in doubt, but Brighton’s interest in Cuiabano dates back before Forest became involved.
Brighton are long-term admirers of Forest-linked Cuiabano
Cuiabano has excellent versatility down the left side which would make him an ideal addition to the Forest squad, but Brighton’s long-term interest has made the deal more complicated.
According to The Athletic, Brighton’s interest in Cuiabano goes back before Forest were in the mix, with the two previous bids for the 22-year-old a warning for the Reds of their seriousness.
The one advantage Forest have in this race is Marinakis’ relationship with Textor which is set to be strong thanks to previous deals for the likes of Moussa Niakhate to Lyon, a club that the Botafogo chief also owns.
Whether Forest will match the £9.2m valuation is to be seen, but Brighton’s failure to convince Textor with two lower bids should give Marinakis a clear idea of how to approach a bid of his own.
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