Betis goes after Matheus Martins

Real Betis Balompié

R.C. Celta de Vigo

The market has not officially opened yet, but in Brazil they are already putting names on the table for several European clubs. One of them is Matheus Martins, a winger from Botafogo who could leave this summer due to the delicate economic situation the Carioca club is going through. And among all the interested teams, the strongest contenders in Spain are Real Betis and Celta.

According to sources from Brazil, the verdiblanco squad and the Celtiñas are closely monitoring the situation of the 22-year-old attacker, who looks favorably on returning to Europe after his time in England. Betis is looking to reinforce the wings for the next season and the profile of Matheus Martins fits well with what Manuel Pellegrini needs: speed, dribbling, and the ability to play on both sides. On the other hand, Celta needs to replace Brian Zaragoza, who ended his loan in the winter market and they have not had a profile like his in the second half of the season.

He is not the only club that has him on their radar. Feyenoord, Coventry City, and FC Krasnodar have also inquired about his situation, although in Brazil they place Betis and Celta as the teams most attentive to a possible market opportunity.

The reality is that Botafogo needs to sell. John Textor’s project has gone from touching the peak of winning the Copa Libertadores to entering a very complicated financial situation in just a few months. There are delays, internal tensions, and an urgent need to generate income. In this context, Matheus Martins appears as one of the players most likely to leave.

The attacker was developed at Fluminense FC and in 2023 made the jump to Europe with Udinese Calcio, who paid six million euros for his signing. He then went on loan to Watford FC, where he left good impressions in the Championship before returning to Brazil.

Botafogo ended up betting heavily on him in the summer of 2024, paying around ten million euros to bring him in permanently. The problem is they still have a significant debt to Udinese from that deal, which further complicates the financial situation of the Brazilian club.

On the pitch, Matheus Martins has shown flashes, although he has not fully exploded yet. He has nine goals and two assists in 81 matches with Botafogo, modest figures for an attacking player but that do not hide an interesting profile. He is fast, aggressive on the ball, and usually plays on his weaker foot from the right wing, although he can also play on the left side.

His potential continues to generate interest, but it feels like no club wants to take on too high a deal. In Brazil, they talk about a price close to six million euros, while Botafogo tries to get closer to eight. We will stay tuned to see if it becomes something more serious in the coming weeks.