Arsenal transfer target rejects Nottingham Forest move

The Football Faithful

·29. Januar 2025

Arsenal transfer target rejects Nottingham Forest move

Igor Jesus has rejected a €30m move to Nottingham Forest amid rival interest in the Botafogo forward from Arsenal.

Jesus has been linked with a move to the Premier League after a rapid rise in Brazilian football. After impressing with a prolific period in the UAE Pro League, Jesus signed for Botafogo in the summer and helped the side to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and Copa Libertadores in 2024, the latter the club’s first continental title.

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🚨 @JacobsBen: “The first name I have put out there is Igor Jesus. This is an Edu legacy deal if you like & some groundwork was done for him. He’s at Botafogo & it’s a good time to buy from a club in Brazil because of how their calendar works.” [@curtisshaw9 YouTube]
– Dienstag, 21. Januar 2025

The 23-year-old scored eight goals in 31 games for Botafogo and made his debut for Brazil in October, marking the occasion with a goal against Chile. His performances have attracted interest from Europe with Arsenal and Nottingham Forest admirers.

Forest – who are expected to appoint ex-Arsenal sporting director Edu – made a €30m bid for Jesus last week but saw the player reject the move. However, South American football expert Tim Vickery has told Sky Sports he believes Jesus would be more receptive should Arsenal come calling.

“This time last year he was in the United Arab Emirates and he wasn’t even a household name in his own home. Botafogo brought him on a free in July and by October he was Brazil’s first-choice centre forward,” Vickery said.

“He looks like the complete package. a very, very promising player indeed. We understand that he personally rejected a bid from Nottingham Forest at the weekend which was said to be 30m Euros.

“It seems he said no to Forest, but my big question would be would he say no to Arsenal?

“He would seem to fit their requirements, he’s an all-round striker, he’s strong, he’s quick, he’s mobile, he can hold the ball up, he can run into the channels.

“If there were to be a bid from Arsenal would he say no to that.”

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