Birkirkara set to sign former Naxxar midfielder Iseppe, attacking midfielder Rafa Santos and left-back Jefferson

Birkirkara are stepping up their efforts to rebuild their squad ahead of the new season after closing in on a move for three overseas players, Times of Malta can confirm.

The Stripes are looking to bounce back from a very disappointing season, which saw them miss out on challenging for any domestic honour in the 2025-26 campaign.

Birkirkara, under the new presidency of Dr Chris Cardona, have been working hard to bring in new quality players, and the Stripes are on the verge of signing Brazilian midfielder JP Iseppe, Portuguese attacking midfielder Rafa Santos, and Brazilian left back Jefferson Vinicius.

Iseppe is a familiar face in Maltese football, as last season, the defensive midfielder was on the books of Naxxar Lions.

The 25-year-old, who holds an Italian passport, joined the Lions during the January transfer window and became a regular member of the first team, making 15 appearances.

Iseppe, who came through the youth ranks of Sao Paulo, spent the majority of his career in Brazil, and his experience in Malta was his first outside South America.

Jefferson Vinicius is a 26-year-old Brazilian left-back, who also spent the majority of his career in Brazil.

He came through the youth ranks of Gremio and had his first spell outside his country in 2023 when he joined Ukrainian side Rukh Lviv.

After short spell in Ukraine he returned to Brazil, where he played for São Bernardo, Marcilio Dias and ABC FC.

Birkirkara have also secured a remarkable acquisition in the form of Portuguese attacking midfielder Rafa Santos.

The 29-year-old enjoys an eye-catching CV as after spending several years in Portugal, in 2023, he moved to Poland, where he moved to Stal Mielec, the same top-flight club that had acquired the services of Malta international Matthew Guillaumier a couple of seasons ago.

In 2024, he had a short spell in Qatar with Al-Shabab but last summer he returned to Polish football with Gornik Leczna.

At Gornik Leczna, Santos made 14 appearances and scored one goal.

Sources have also confirmed to Times of Malta that Birkirkara have stepped up their interest in Malta international goalkeeper Rashed Al Tumi.

The Birkirkara top hierarchy have opened talks with Sliema Wanderers over the towering goalkeeper and are hopeful a deal can be struck in the coming days.