Nottingham Forest are having a busy transfer deadline day as they look to add last-minute additions and Morato is one interesting name the club are working on.
It’s been a wild transfer window already for Nottingham Forest, with 10 new signings arriving and a massive 26 players heading for the City Ground exit door.
But the fun doesn’t stop there and with a few hours remaining on transfer deadline day, Forest are still trying to strengthen Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.
James Ward-Prowse looks all but set to arrive on a season-long loan from West Ham United, with the midfielder heading to Nottingham to complete his medical.
Forest are also on the lookout for a goalkeeper, having made a bid for Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher.
At the back, it appears that Forest are closing in on signing Benfica centre-back Morato but who exactly is he? Well, here is all you need to know about the Reds’ potential deadline day defender.
- Who is James Ward-Prowse? Get to know the West Ham midfielder set to join Nottingham Forest on loan
How old is Morato?
Felipe Rodrigues da Silva, known as Morato, was born on June 30, 2001, in Francisco Morato, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
As of August 2024, he is 23 years old.
Twitter/X and Instagram accounts
Morato has an official Instagram account with 140k followers, on which he regularly posts interesting pictures of his life away from the pitch. You can follow him @morato.
He also has an official X, formerly Twitter, account @Morato.
Morato girlfriend
Morato is in a long-term relationship with his partner Maria Leonor Pereira. The couple are expecting their first child, a daughter, in 2024.
Morato to Nottingham Forest transfer rumours
According to Portuguese outlet Record, Morato is heading to England to sign a contract with a Premier League club, with that club believed to be Forest.
The Reds appear to have beaten out competition from both Tottenham and Fulham to sign the centre-back in a deal that is expected to cost around £18m.
Though summer signing Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo are expected to be the first-choice centre-back pairing, Forest are seemingly preparing for life without Murillo should he move to a bigger club next summer.
How good is Morato?
Benfica are one of the best clubs in the world at finding young talent, typically before selling them on for massive profits. Brazil has been a particularly happy hunting ground for them and they swooped in to sign Morato from Sao Paulo’s youth ranks in 2019.
He had to wait for his chance in the first team but broke in when an injury to Jan Vertonghen provided an opening in the 2021-22 season.
The following season he overtook the veteran Belgian as first choice. He earned the Primeira Liga’s Defender of the Month award for August after helping his side keep three clean sheets and win four consecutive games.
Though Morato can also play at left-back he is much more comfortable in the centre of defence.
Last season, according to Fbref, Morato averaged three tackles a game – being particularly good at stopping dribbles – 1.5 blocks per game, 1.13 interceptions a game, 3.56 clearances a game and zero errors.
Morato stats for Benfica
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 2019/20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020/21 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021/22 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022/23 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2023/24 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 86 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 1 |
Benfica B stats
Benfica B play in the Portuguese second division and Morato was a regular before being promoted to the first team.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 47 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Trophies and honours
Benfica trophies
- Primeira Liga – 2022–23
- Supertaca Candido de Oliveira – 2023
Individual honours
- Primeira Liga Defender of the Month – August 2022
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