Nottingham Forest’s chances of signing Cruzeiro goalkeeper Otávio have taken a hit, with the Brazilian club moving to protect their youngster after interest from England.
The 20-year-old has agreed a new contract until 2031, according to Globo Esporte. His previous deal was due to expire in 2029.
The renewal also includes a €100m (£86.4m) release clause for clubs outside Brazil. That is quite a change from the €13m (£11.2m) figures surrounding Forest earlier this summer.
Lance! also confirms the agreement and says Otávio will receive an immediate pay rise. There are further triggers in the contract which will gradually increase his salary.
Cruzeiro respond after Forest interest
This comes after Nottingham Forest started looking at Otávio during his breakthrough season.
Back in June, we covered reports that Forest were preparing a €13m (£11.2m) offer. Lance! now says the Premier League side made an enquiry but didn’t take things any further.
There had been interest from elsewhere before that. Eintracht Frankfurt made contact over Otávio last year, before he had established himself in Cruzeiro’s senior side. Those approaches clearly haven’t gone unnoticed in Brazil.
Talks over a renewal had actually been taking place for several months. There was no great rush from either side to get it done, but Otávio’s rapid progress has changed his status at the club.
The €100m (£86.4m) clause now gives Cruzeiro much greater protection if Forest or another European club return.
It doesn’t necessarily mean they would demand anything close to that amount. What it does mean is that Otávio is now tied down for another five years, on improved terms, with Cruzeiro in a very strong position.
Quite a rise in four months
The goalkeeper’s situation looked completely different at the start of the season. Otávio began 2026 as Cruzeiro’s third choice and made three appearances in the state championship. He initially struggled to make much of an impression.
Things changed when first choice Cássio suffered a serious knee injury in March. Matheus Cunha initially took over but failed to make the position his own – and ended up sold to elsewhere. Otávio got his opportunity in April and hasn’t given it back.
Globo Esporte say he has played 22 matches since then and conceded 19 goals. His performances convinced manager Artur Jorge’s staff, and Cruzeiro even stopped looking for another goalkeeper. He became one of the top performers in the country.
The academy graduate has been at the club since he was 10 and has also represented Brazil at youth level.
Forest therefore spotted him during a pretty dramatic rise. A few months later, Cruzeiro have made sure any renewed attempt to take him to England will come under very different circumstances.
