Nottingham Forest have announced the signing of Morato from Benfica in a deal worth around £15 million.
The Reds have worked tirelessly to get this deal over the line and have now moved to bolster their defensive options on deadline day.
Morato came out of the blue a little bit. It wasn’t clear whether the defence would be strengthened but now the Brazilian has checked in on a long-term contract.
The left-sided player has made 86 appearances for Benfica and he will arrive to add competition to Nuno Espirito Santo’s ranks.
Nottingham Forest sign Morato and confirm squad number
The Reds have completed a pretty steady deal here and the Reds have announced it on their official website.
Morato has been with Benfica for three years since signing from Sao Paulo in 2021.
He’s played plenty of football in Portugal but has now won a move to a top European league to continue honing his craft.
Forest have a wealth of options at centre-back now and he joined Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Willy Boly and Andrew Omobamidele as the central defensive options.
Morato has been given the squad number four that was recently vacated by Joe Worrall who moved to Burnley last week.
Morato will hope to get in the Forest team quickly
Murillo’s stock couldn’t be higher and Milenkovic has started well to life at Forest. Boly and Omobamidele are also decent options for the squad.
As a result, the decision to sign Morato perhaps suggests that Espirito Santo might look to be playing three at the back in the future.
- READ MORE: Forest showed late interest in £30m winger
Still, signing a player of this ilk for such a low price does make a lot of sense and he’s now tied to Forest for a prolonged period.
Morato will have to prove himself in the number four shirt but having played for a club like Benfica where the expectations are sky-high, he should slot in just fine at Forest.
Receive a digest of our best Nottingham Forest content each week direct to your mailbox
