Tigres UANL have submitted a formal offer to Botafogo for Brazilian striker Arthur Cabral, according to an exclusive report from Record MX on Monday. The Liga MX club is urgently seeking offensive reinforcement for a squad struggling for consistency, currently sitting 15th in the standings with just six points from seven matches.
Tigres' attack has been a clear problem this season, scoring only nine goals with a -2 goal difference. This leaves them ten points behind leaders Club America, a gap the team is trying to close before it's too late. The most recent result, a 1-1 draw against Necaxa on September 6th, shows the need for more firepower up front.
Arthur Cabral is a 28-year-old Brazilian center forward currently playing for Botafogo. The player joined the Brazilian club in June 2025 from Portugal's Benfica, in a deal worth 12 million euros. His contract with Botafogo runs until December 2028, which complicates any exit negotiation.
His market value is around nine million euros, a figure Botafogo would likely consider the minimum to start talks. For Tigres, Cabral would represent the fifth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Alan Franco, Mauro Lainez, Francisco Reyes, and Mexican Ricardo Monreal from Necaxa. Acquiring the Brazilian would fill the final foreign player slot available in Tigres' squad, which currently has eight filled.
The arrival of Arthur Cabral would completely change the manager's offensive options. Right now, Rodrigo Aguirre is the only foreign center forward on the roster, leaving clear room for competition. Tigres UANL's 2026 squad, which you can review in detail on our squad page, would get a major boost with this move.
A Botafogo official, who was not named, commented on the situation: "Pienso que la cuestión de Arthur Cabral está muy condicionada en quién vas a traer." This statement suggests the Brazilian club might be evaluating internal alternatives before greenlighting a sale. Options like Danilo Pereira haven't fully convinced the coaching staff, which could accelerate a departure.
The main hurdle is time. The transfer window in both Brazil and Mexico closes this Friday, September 11th, leaving only a few days to finalize all details. Also, logistics make it nearly impossible for Cabral to be ready for the team's next key fixture.
Tigres face the Clásico Regio against Rayados de Monterrey on Saturday, September 12th at 19:10 local time. The rival, sitting in 10th place, will be a tough test for a Tigres side on a five-match unbeaten run (one win and four draws).
The team urgently needs points, and a reinforcement like Cabral could make a difference in the second half of the tournament. However, with the market closure just around the corner, Tigres' management is racing against the clock to materialize this operation aimed at reviving an attack that has produced only nine goals in seven games.
