Attacking midfielder David Tavares was left out of Benfica’s squad for their friendly against Bournemouth, amid reports a move to Nottingham Forest is close.
The 21-year-old is said to be set to join the Reds initially on loan, with a view to a permanent deal if he is a success on Trentside.
And he was not involved at the Estadio da Luz as Benfica took on Forest’s Championship rivals in a pre-season match on Sunday evening.
For your latest Forest news sign up to our newsletter with your email in the box at the top of the page - or click here
Portuguese website Desporto Ao Minuto report Tavares is “almost certain” to depart and “is expected” to make the move to the City Ground.
The newspaper Correio da Manha previously claimed the “final developments” of his switch have taken place over the past few days.
Forest have made five signings so far, with Luke Freeman the latest arrival on Friday evening, following the additions of Jack Colback, Tyler Blackett, Lyle Taylor and Fouad Bachirou.
Tavares has been with Benfica since 2016, having previously spent time at fellow Portuguese outfits AC Tojal, Loures and Sporting Lisbon early on in his career.
He is said to have caught the eye of Jurgen Klopp in a friendly against Liverpool last year, which led to rumours of him potentially heading to Anfield.
