Brighton and Nottingham Forest locked in transfer battle after three bids rejected

Brighton are refusing to give up on the signing of Botafogo left-back Cuiabano - despite seeing three bids rejected for the 22-year-old Brazilian. Nottingham Forest have also attempted to sign Cuiabano and their interest in the player remains strong.

The Tricky Trees have already agreed a £30million package deal with Botafogo for striker Igor Jesus and centre-back Jair Cunha, who will both move to the City Ground following their participation in the Club World Cup.

However, so far, they've been unable to strike an agreement for Cuiabano and the race for his signature remains open. Brighton's latest offer was worth in the region of £7.7m including add-ons but it was still not enough to satisfy Botafogo's valuation.

The defender has been used from the bench in both of Botafogo's Club World Cup fixtures including the impressive 1-0 scalp over European Champions PSG.

Brighton are exploring the signing of a new left-back despite handing Tariq Lamptey a new contract as Pervis Estupinan has told the Seagulls that he's open to a new challenge.

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Estupinan told El Canal Del Futbol while away on international duty: “The truth is they have been three years in Brighton with a lot of learning. But this will be a transfer market with a lot of movement. The club know that I would like to grow, that I would like to keep growing.

“The club have understood this. I’ve spoken to the club. The club have given me this bit of freedom to be able to make a decision. Now we will try to see better what is on the table and to see where we can go."

Meanwhile, Forest boss Nuno Espírito Santo has signed a new three-year Nottingham Forest contract until the summer of 2028.

The Portuguese boss guided the Tricky Trees to their highest league finish in 30 years to qualify for the UEFA Conference League. Next season will be the first time the City Ground has staged European football since the 1995-96 campaign.

Nuno replaced previous boss Steve Cooper in December 2023 and later guided Forest to survival on the final day of the season before securing a seventh-place finish. Forest also reached the FA Cup semi-finals this term.

The 51-year-old said upon penning his new deal: "I am delighted to be able to continue our journey at this fantastic football club.

"Since we arrived at Forest, we have worked extremely hard to create a special bond between the players, the fans and everyone at the club, which helped us achieve great things last season."

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