Tottenham and Crystal Palace are the latest Premier League clubs to take an interest in Cruzeiro goalkeeper Otávio, and both have now sent people to Brazil to watch him in action.
Representatives from the two London clubs attended Cruzeiro’s derby against Atlético-MG on Thursday, October 29. The 21-year-old goalkeeper was the main reason for their visit.
Neither club has made an offer yet, but there’s already an interesting story behind Crystal Palace’s interest. One of their scouts has actually been trying to sign Otávio for quite some time.
Crystal Palace scout chasing Otávio for a while
According to Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte, Tottenham and Crystal Palace both had representatives at Arena MRV for the derby.
Local outlet Itatiaia also confirms the scouting trip and identifies Crystal Palace’s man as Alessandro Brito, who now heads the club’s scouting department. And Brito knows Otávio pretty well.
He previously worked at Botafogo, where he recommended signing the goalkeeper more than once. His latest attempt came earlier this year, when Otávio was still waiting for his big breakthrough. But Cruzeiro wouldn’t entertain the idea of selling him, even back then.
Now Brito is watching him again, only this time he’s doing it for Crystal Palace. Clearly, his interest in the youngster hasn’t gone away.
As for Tottenham, there’s less information about their plans. We know they sent someone to watch Otávio, but there’s nothing yet to suggest they’re ready to make a move.
Forest were interested before things really took off
Nottingham Forest actually got there before Tottenham and Crystal Palace. Back in June, reports from Brazil said Forest were preparing a €13m (£11.2m) offer for Otávio. There were initial contacts, but the move never went any further.
A lot has changed since then. Otávio has become one of Cruzeiro’s most important players, earned his first senior Brazil call-up under Carlo Ancelotti and signed a new contract until 2031.
He’s also on Brazil’s preliminary list for November’s friendlies. And, unsurprisingly, Cruzeiro are now asking for a lot more money.
Globo Esporte say they won’t even sit down to negotiate for less than €20m (£17.3m). Other reports had previously put that figure at €25m (£21.6m), so there’s still some uncertainty over the exact starting price.
Either way, Forest’s reported €13m (£11.2m) would no longer get very far. Cruzeiro and Otávio’s representatives know there’s a good chance of offers arriving before January. Nobody has started discussing where the goalkeeper might go, though.
For now, he’s focused on helping Cruzeiro secure direct qualification for 2027’s Copa Libertadores.
Tottenham and Crystal Palace have both taken a closer look, and the next couple of months should tell us whether either club will take things further.
As for Palace, it’s worth remembering that Brito has already tried to sign Otávio more than once. He clearly sees something in the goalkeeper, and now he has Premier League backing to potentially make another attempt.
