Marco Silva’s Fulham failed with a €30 million offer to sign former Nottingham Forest midfield star Danilo.

According to a report from Ge, Fulham were looking to bring Danilo back to the Premier League just over a month after he had secured a return to Brazil. The Cottagers submitted an offer worth €30 million for the former Nottingham Forest star, but Botafogo turned it down.

Danilo came up the ranks at Palmeiras and made quite a name for himself while playing for their first team before joining Nottingham at the start of 2023. During his time at the English club, he was involved in a total of 62 matches and even contributed towards 10 goals.

While he did have an impressive start to life in the Premier League, an ankle injury kept him on the sidelines for the majority of last season. Eventually, the Tricky Trees decided to cash in on him. Botafogo were keen on reinforcing their backline; they spotted the opportunity and went hard to sign the 24-year-old.

They managed to secure his services in a €22 million deal, the biggest transfer in the club’s history. Since joining them back in July, he has already featured in nine matches for the Brazilian outfit and has even contributed towards two goals.

Fulham failed to sign Danilo on deadline day

The Brazilian defensive midfielder has established himself as one of their mainstays, and his performances caught the attention of Fulham. The Cottagers had already seen him in action in the Premier League, and with him now back to full fitness, they tried to sign him towards the end of the transfer window.

Marco Silva’s side tabled a €30 million offer on transfer deadline day, but Botafogo rejected it. Reports suggested the Brazilian club turned it down due to a lack of time to secure a replacement, especially after selling Gregore and Danilo Barbosa, who had already left them light in midfield.

However, John Textor, owner of Botafogo’s SAF, later clarified that the refusal had nothing to do with replacements. Instead, he insisted the club had no intention of parting ways with the 24-year-old barely a month after signing him.