A mysterious transfer linked to John Textor shakes Lyon and Botafogo, while the American demands a heavy invoice from OL.
A new Imbroglio agitates relations between Olympique Lyonnais and Botafogo. Since the departure of John Textor, former owner of the two clubs replaced in Lyon by Michele Kang,
Botafogo claims no less than 73 million euros from OL. The Brazilian club accuses Lyon of having conducted unfavorable transfers between the two teams, even though Lyon was forbidden to recruit by the DNCG.
Upon his arrival, John Textor orchestrated several transfers between Botafogo and Lyon. In February, Eagle Football revealed that Lyon held the economic rights of three players from Botafogo, including Luiz Henrique, for almost 100 million euros. However, Luiz Henrique never worn the Lyon jersey: he was directly transferred from Brazil to Zenit (Russia), and the 33 million euros in this transfer were paid to OL.
The identity of the two other players concerned remains unclear. Among them could be Lucas Perri, guardian bought by Lyon then sold to Leeds, without it being clear if he is one of these mysterious operations. More recently, the Brazilian media
Globo revealed that John Textor had also acquired the economic rights of Jefferson Savarino, winger of Botafogo for 7.6 million euros, while Lyon was prohibited to recruit, a ghost transfer remained so far.
Savarino's revelations
Jefferson Savarino himself confirmed that he could have joined Lyon, but chose to stay in America. “I was offered to go at the start of the year (2025), but I decided to stay. In March, Botafogo offered to renew my contract, and during this presentation, I had the opportunity to go to Lyon, but the final decision was made in July. I finally chose to stay in Botafogo with my family ”he explained after the victory of his club in the Brazil Cup.
This transfer, at the heart of growing tensions, could have heavy legal and financial consequences in the coming weeks. Botafogo claims accounts in Lyon, while Brazilian justice closely follows the file. Case to follow.
