‘Another Murillo’… Nottingham Forest fans are excited as Evangelos Marinakis launches Jair Cunha bid

Add as preferred source on Google

Nottingham Forest have launched a bid to sign another Brazilian wonderkid, with Reds fans getting excited about the potential arrival of Jair Cunha.

Evangelos Marinakis is attempting a triple-raid on Botafogo, with Igor Jesus the centre-piece of a move to fill gaps in the Forest squad with Brazilian flair.

With Forest in advanced talks for Jesus, attention has now turned to two of his teammates as centre-back Jair and left-back Cuiabano are on the radar of the Forest owner.

Forest have launched a bid for Jair to quickly secure his services, as Reds fans’ excitement begins to grow at what looks to be another Murillo-esque purchase by the club.

Nottingham Forest fans react to Jair Cunha interest

The pricing details of the bid have yet to be revealed, but Jesus’ price of close to £20 million looks to be a solid estimate for the 20-year-old centre-back.

With the natural comparisons to Murillo, Forest fans are growing in anticipation for news of Jair’s transfer, taking to social media to discuss the potential move.

One fan said: “Jair looks like another Murillo,” with another adding: “Jair Cunha is exciting. Only just turned 20 and is an absolute giant.”

Another said: “Seems to be pretty rated over in Brazil, and he’s a U20 international.” One added: “From the clips I’ve seen, he looks exciting.”

One Brazilian Forest fan said: “Trust me on this one. He is the real deal,” with another adding: “This kid looks a right baller.”

If Jair were to sign for Forest, the initial excitement may wear off quickly for Nuno Espírito Santo, who would need to make a tough choice on his existing central defenders.

Nottingham Forest would have to make room for Jair Cunha

Of course, Forest have the Conference League to contend with next season so the extra squad depth will be welcome for Espírito Santo. With a number of young defenders with high potential, though, there could be a case of stunted growth.

After a terrific loan spell at Reading, the returning Tyler Bindon is likely to be loaned out to the Championship next season, which deals with one issue, but there is still the development of Zach Abbott to consider.

Forest have high hopes for Abbott but will want to ensure that the 19-year-old has adequate game time across all competitions if he stays at the City Ground next season.

Therefore, Espírito Santo would either have to be brave and play Abbott and Jair as a pair, or one would have to miss out on vital minutes in their development if neither are loaned out.