Nottingham Forest transfer news: Emerging Brazilian star arrives at City Ground amidst Morgan Gibbs-White debacle

Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Botafogo defender Jair Cunha amidst the debacle involving Morgan Gibbs-White.

Earlier on Friday, it appeared as though the England international was on the verge of completing a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur in a £60m deal.

However, as per widespread reports, Forest are assessing whether to try to take legal action, allegedly due to the manner in which Spurs learned of a release clause in the player's contract.

Nevertheless, despite the start of a saga that may take time to play out, Forest have confirmed that they have gotten a deal for Cunha over the line.

Two trophies won at just 20. ?? pic.twitter.com/wAm8qUSAmy

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Star of the future

Forest have been credited with an interest in the centre-back for some time but they have had to wait for Botafogo to conclude their Club World Cup campaign before being able to press ahead with negotiations.

The 20-year-old only signed for the Brasileiro champions ahead of the 2025 season and has subsequently made a total of 22 appearances in all competitions.

Four of those outings came in the United States, Cunha most notably playing the full 90 minutes as Forest defeated Paris Saint-Germain by a 1-0 scoreline.

His long-term future is now at Forest, though, with a five-year contract having been penned to make the switch to the City Ground for a reported £10m.

Cunha followed Igor Jesus in leaving Botafogo for the East Midlands and he will now challenge Murillo and Nikola Milenkovic for a starting role.

© Imago

Forest chief speaks on Cunha

Forest’s Chief Football Officer Ross Wilson told the club's official website: "Jair is a young talent who has shown quality during his time in Brazil, and we are happy to have secured his signature.

“Jair has flourished in Brazil and now has new ambitions as he moves to the Premier League. We know he will be warmly welcomed into the group here in Nottingham.”

Cunha is expected to continue with his summer break before linking up with Forest for the latter part of pre-season.