Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis strikes a secret deal with John Textor right after Jair Cunha

After the deal looked in doubt, Nottingham Forest are set to complete the signing of Jair Cunha, alongside a secret deal that Evangelos Marinakis has struck with John Textor.

Forest fans were buzzing about the Jair deal being agreed as, ever since the initial interest was suggested, it seemed that the centre-back would escape Marinakis’ grasp.

Most worrying was the report that Real Madrid planned to hijack the Jair signing, which would’ve understandably been too good to turn down for the Brazilian, so credit is due to the Forest recruitment team.

Alongside Jair agreeing to join Forest, it looks as if Marinakis has agreed a separate deal aimed at finding the next Jair before the likes of Madrid can scupper plans.

Evangelos Marinakis agrees Brazilian ‘project’ with John Textor

Alongside the Botafogo centre-back, Igor Jesus has agreed to join Forest to grow the Brazilian contingent at the club, currently standing at four before the two new arrivals.

It’s been a fruitful market for the Reds, and one that Marinakis clearly wants to continue to exploit, according to a report by Brazilian outlet Lance.

The report said: “Evangelos Marinakis and John Textor are studying the feasibility of a project aimed at the youth categories, increasing investment and fundraising power for the Alvinegro’s young teams.”

It’s no secret that Marinakis has wanted to buy a Brazilian club of his own, but a deal with Textor to help improve Botafogo’s youth set-up could have a similar impact in terms of helping his portfolio of clubs find the next wave of Brazilian talent.

Although Jesus and Jair are signing from Botafogo, neither came through the side’s academy, with Jesus starting out at Coritiba and Jair at Santos, indicating that the club could do with some improvements in the youth department.

Alongside this youth project, the report also claimed that Marinakis is still talking to Textor about deals that will impact their respective clubs this season.

Evangelos Marinakis and John Textor still in talks for transfer deals

Originally, Jesus and Jair were set to be joined by another Botafogo player, with left-back Cuiabano suggested as the third addition.

However, Cuiabano’s move to Forest has been in doubt, but the report has stated that the negotiations haven’t concluded.

It continued: “Forest intends to, in addition to Igor and Jair, also close the signing of Cuiabano. The left-back is also of interest to other European clubs.”

Textor was also in discussions with Forest to sign players for his European outfit, Lyon, with Matt Turner and Danilo both rumoured to be of interest to the French giants before their financial woes became clearer.

The partnership between the two owners looks like it’ll continue to benefit Forest, with Marinakis looking to future-proof the Reds’ Brazilian interests.