Manchester United is naturally, based on the performances that we have seen in recent years, not part of the Club World Cup, which fortunately is only held every 4 years. England have Chelsea and Manchester City in the tournament, while Brazil will field Palmeiras and Botafogo.
Goalkeeper John Victor has impressed for Botafogo and Manchester United have been impressed. – So far, manager Ruben Amorim is planning with first-choice goalkeeper André Onana, but there are few who believe that the bosses at Old Trafford will jump on the opportunity for a better goalkeeper if they turn up.
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Onana has faced criticism for his varying performances since joining the club from Inter Milan in the summer of 2023. As a result, United are reportedly willing to consider loan offers for the Cameroonian international goalkeeper.
Manchester United have been linked with several potential replacements, including Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martínez.
Targeting Brazil
But now it seems that United are instead considering a Brazilian solution to strengthen the goalkeeper department.
According to Goal Brazil, United are showing strong interest in signing John from Brazilian side Botafogo. The club has already sent a request and is now preparing for a formal bid.
The transfer won’t be costly – the goalkeeper reportedly has a release clause of just $8 million (£5.8 million) in his Botafogo contract.
Who is John Victor?
John has spent most of his career in Brazil, except for a brief loan spell with Spanish side Real Valladolid in 2023.
The 29-year-old established himself as Botafogo’s first choice after his transfer from Santos in January 2024. He has kept a clean sheet in 32 of 79 games for the club and impressed during the recent Club World Cup.
Although he did not concede more than one goal in any of Botafogo’s four games in the tournament, he could not prevent the team from losing after extra time to Palmeiras in the last eight.
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Low-risk option
Questions can be raised as to how John will handle the pressure at a club like United, but his low release clause makes him a relatively low-risk buy.
