Botafogo native Leonardo Saippa admits he was quizzed about his knowledge of £42 million ‘jewel’ Matheus Nascimento during a visit to Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park stadium, speaking to Boletim do CE.
It’s gone slightly under the radar this side of the Atlantic; negotiations between Palace and Botafogo for one of the game’s most exciting young forwards.
Botafogo’s sporting director admitted over the summer that Matheus Nascimento, a ‘sensational’ striker recently linked with a potential £42 million move to Real Madrid, was ‘offered’ the opportunity to continue his development in South London by Palace chief Dougie Freedman and US businessman John Textor, a shareholder at both clubs.
And while the window might have closed without Nascimento arriving in the English capital, it seems Palace’s interest is ongoing.
Crystal Palace are asking questions about Matheus Nascimento
“As I’m a Botafogo fan, I want to get to know them (Crystal Palace, due to the Textor connection),” explains Saippa, a mobile developer from Botafogo.
Saippa, during a recent trip to England, embarked upon a tour of Selhurst Park. During which he was bombarded by questions about a certain 18-year-old wonderkid.
“The (Palace) employees knew Botafogo and asked me about Matheus Nascimento,” he adds. “They treat him like a jewel too. In the middle of my visit, they asked me if he was playing regularly, because in the newspapers here they claimed that he even aroused interest from Real Madrid.”
Clearly, Nascimento’s potential arrival is the subject of plenty of discussion behind the scenes at Selhurst Park. Whether it happens, however, remains to be seen. The so-called ‘Brazilian Cavani’ has a £42 million release clause in his contract. But some have suggested that Nascimento could join Crystal Palace on loan instead, the Premier League outfit making use of their connections with a club sitting 12th in the Brazilian top-flight.
A ‘sensational’ talent
“Matheus is a real football player. It comes naturally to him. He is a down-to-earth boy, you can see that he has a good family which helps a lot,” says Botafogo goalkeeper Gatito.
“He’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with. And he’s going to get even better because of the quality he has. He’s a striker, he has a lot of quality and, for his age, that quality is absurd.”
“If the ball doesn’t arrive, it’s difficult (for him). It’s not his style to drop deep. But if you throw the ball his way, he dominates. Very smooth, a very good player. It seems that he floats on the field. He looks like a player from the street, with improvisation. Sensational.”
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