Botafogo head coach Davide Ancelotti says he expects West Ham transfer target John Victor to start against Red Bull Bragantino on Wednesday.

The goalkeeper has been heavily linked with a switch to the London Stadium, but speaking after Botafogo’s 2-0 defeat to Cruzeiro at the weekend, Ancelotti said that, after speaking with John, he is set to be named in the eleven for the Brazilian Cup tie midweek:

“I spoke to him and he wants to keep playing for Botafogo. As long as he’s available, he’ll be the starter. That goes for the next match as well. He’s calm, he wants to play, and he will.”

It is believed that John has already been the subject of one bid from the Hammers, with some even suggesting a follow-up proposal worth €10m (£8.7m) has been made.

Botafogo want to find a replacement before selling to West Ham

It is believed that one of the main reasons why the deal has not progressed to the final stages is due to the Brazilian club’s desire to bring in a new No.1 first.

Botafogo are said to be interested in signing Nottingham Forest’s Carlos Miguel. The Brazilian moved to the Tricky Trees from Corinthians for £3.4m last summer but he has only made three appearances in cup competitions.

Why has John emerged as a top target?

Reliable sources have confirmed that the Irons have held talks about purchasing Leicester’s Mads Hermansen and Parma’s Zion Suzuki, but they cannot afford either keeper.

Both are valued in excess of £30m, and it appears John can be recruited for less than a third of the price. The limited resources available to head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay and head coach Graham Potter has really hampered their efforts to improve the first-team squad this summer.

In other news, Manchester City have signalled that they are interested in reviving a move for a £60m-rated West Ham star