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Jefferson Savarino Transfer from Botafogo to Olympique Lyonnais
According to L'Équipe, Textor made no comment regarding the transfer of Jefferson Savarino. All independent reviews have been completed and were transferred to OL. OL was obligated to pay installments to Botafogo, and Botafogo had the right to assign its receivables to a third-party institution, which it did.
According to the newspaper 'L'Equipe', Lyon has opened an internal investigation into 'phantom' transfers made by John Textor involving Botafogo players, including Savarino, who never played for the French club. The American allegedly authorized the purchase of the economic rights of these athletes, which generated a declared 'debt' of around 120 million euros for Lyon. Part of these transfers were reportedly processed through the factoring mechanism, with an anticipated amount close to 100 million euros. The players were never registered by the French League.
An agreement existed between Textor and Savarino for the number 10 to play for Lyon after the Club World Cup. As the French team was under a transfer ban, the parties arranged for him to transfer during the punishment period. The Venezuelan withdrew from the move after discussions with his family.
Botafogo's CEO, Thairo Arruda, sent a letter to Lyon stating that he sold Savarino under unfavorable conditions to help the French club. At the time, Lyon was experiencing difficulties in closing its budget.
In July, Savarino had the opportunity to transfer in full to Lyon, a club owned by John Textor. However, he chose to stay at Botafogo at that time. The situation has changed now, especially after Botafogo's elimination from the Libertadores, which has renewed the possibility of him leaving the club.
Lyon is interested in Jefferson Savarino, who can play both 8 and 10 positions. Trabzonspor is also pursuing him.
John Textor negotiated the transfer of Jefferson Savarino to Lyon for 7.6 million euros to secure a potential reinforcement despite a possible recruitment ban. However, the transfer never materialized as Savarino's family preferred to stay in Rio de Janeiro. Savarino confirmed that he was offered to leave at the beginning of 2025 but decided to stay at Botafogo. In March, Botafogo proposed a contract renewal, and he had the opportunity to move to Lyon, but he decided to stay with Botafogo in July, citing family decisions.
Savarino's transfer was agreed with Lyon for 7.6 million euros (R$ 42 million) in March 2025. The transfer was not completed due to Lyon's financial restrictions, and Savarino remains at Botafogo.
There are rumors about Olympique Lyonnais signing Jefferson Savarino from Botafogo as a replacement for Rayan Cherki, who is reportedly close to joining Borussia Dortmund with the German club ready to activate his €22.5 million release clause. However, John Textor, associated with Lyon, dismissed these rumors as fake news on Instagram, accusing the journalist of manipulating sources.
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