The 21-year-old joined Forest from Brazilian club Botafogo last year and has quickly established himself at the City Ground, with his progress now attracting attention from one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Barcelona were already monitoring Jair, but reports from Spain indicate that their sporting department has a particularly positive view of the young centre-back.
Sport mentioned the Forest defender while discussing Barcelona’s interest in Athletico Paranaense centre-back Arthur Dias, another Brazilian defender being closely followed by the Catalan club.
Jair was singled out as another young Brazilian centre-back who has emerged strongly and is valued by Barcelona’s sporting management.
There is no indication at this stage that Barcelona are preparing an offer for the Forest defender. However, the fact that he has been specifically identified by their recruitment team underlines how quickly his reputation has grown.
Jair has also made significant progress internationally after being included in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad.
Sport claim he emerged from the latest international camp as Ancelotti’s third-choice centre-back, behind only Marquinhos and Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães.
That represents a notable rise for a player who is still only in his second season of Premier League football.
Jair previously spoke about his admiration for both Marquinhos and Gabriel after receiving his first senior Brazil call-up.
“I’m a big fan of them,” he said. “I hope I can learn as much as possible.”
The Forest defender’s development has therefore accelerated on two fronts, with his club performances earning recognition from Barcelona while his international progress has placed him close to the top of Brazil’s defensive hierarchy.
For Forest, there is currently no concrete transfer approach to consider. But Jair’s growing profile means interest from major European clubs is likely to increase if he maintains his current trajectory.
His emergence also gives Forest a valuable asset in a position where young Brazilian defenders continue to attract significant attention from Europe’s leading clubs.