Aston Villa plotting transfer for Club World Cup star goalkeeper: report
Aston Villa have joined the race to sign Brazilian goalkeeper John Victor, who thrived at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
John Victor, the 29-year-old Botafogo goalkeeper, has been attracting plenty of attention from European clubs, with Bayer Leverkusen, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Manchester United and newly promoted Premier League side Burnley credited with an interest.
According to reporting from Birmingham World, scouts from Villa, Wolves and Burnley went to watch Victor last week when Botafogo thumped Red Bull Bragantino in the Copa Betano do Brasil. Victor was the key figure in the game. He kept a clean sheet and was named the man of the match.
While the Villans were reportedly still monitoring the situation, Bayer Leverkusen had already made an official bid along with another unnamed English team.
The Bundesliga outfit have the advantage of competing in the Champions League this season, certainly a boosting factor to lure the former Santos goalkeeper. Yet, with Mark Flekken and Lukas Hradecky in the squad already, Victor’s chance to play in the Champions League might be limited.
The Botafogo man would only be an understudy and could even be loaned out elsewhere. This is where Villa could win him over. Victor would be in line for the number one spot should Emiliano Martínez leave.
There has yet been no confirmation regarding Botafogo’s asking price. Based on Transfermarkt, Victor’s current value is about £6.9 million.
A star of the Club World Cup
Victor began to attract European teams when he put on quite a show in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. He helped Botafogo pick up a historic 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the group stage. He also made more saves than Jan Oblak and Weverton in the following games, despite losing 1-0 to Atlético Madrid and to Palmeiras in the round of 16.
In goalkeeping stats officially released by FIFA, Victor was the second best at the tournament despite conceding three times. He contributed 81 goal preventions in total, with 127 actions inside the penalty area plus 110 actions outside the six-yard box. Such striking stats are definitely appealing for when it comes to a goalkeeper who did not play regularly at the top level until 2024.
Prior Failure in Europe
Should Victor move to Europe this summer, it would be the second time in his career. His first stint was only a brief loan with Real Valladolid in the Spanish second tier back in 2023. He did not really leave an impression there.
At first, he seemed to be doing well. Victor became a starter in 11 games of Segunda Division, despite the fact that he was initially tipped as a backup for Jordi Masip. Valladolid secured six wins and one draw and suffered four losses when he was between the sticks.
Sadly, injury struck him and forced him to the sidelines. He was unable to regain his spot and only made one appearance after his recovery. Victor only played in the Copa del Rey fixture against Espanyol before returning to Brazil.
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