West Bridgford, July 11 (IANS) Nottingham Forest have signed Brazilian defender Jair Cunha from Botafogo on a five-year contract which keeps him at the City Ground until at least the summer of 2030. The 20-year-old defender joins having just returned from the FIFA Club World Cup with Botafogo, reaching the Round of 16 and scoring in their opening fixture against Seattle Sounders.

Jair started his career at Brazilian side Santos from the age of 10, working his way up through their youth ranks before finally breaking into the First Team as an 18-year-old in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. He went on to make 24 senior appearances with Santos before moving to Botafogo in February 2025.

The 20-year-old central defender, who is known for his height, standing at 6ft 6, also has experience with Brazil’s youth setup with eight appearances for his country at the Under-20 level, helping Canarinha to the U20 South America Championship crown earlier this year.

Jair missed just one game at the tournament, completing the full 90 minutes in each of his eight matches, helping his nation keep three clean sheets along the way to the title.

Forest’s Chief Football Officer, Ross Wilson, said. “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.”

Nottingham Forest will face Ligue 1 side AS Monaco in Chesterfield before travelling to southern Portugal for a warm-weather training camp later this month as part of the club’s pre-season preparations.

The Reds will play two additional friendlies as part of the trip, facing Estoril Praia and fellow Premier League side, Fulham.

–IANS

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