The 21-year-old's lack of regular game time in the Premier League has kept his name circulating back home for much of this year, with Flamengo, Botafogo, Cruzeiro and Sao Paulo all previously credited with interest at various points. Reports from Brazil in recent weeks, however, continue to suggest Nottingham Forest still see Cunha as part of their long-term squad plans, which would complicate any exit this summer.
The latest suitor to emerge is Vasco. According to Colina 1927, Cunha has become the Rio side's leading defensive target for the current window, with talks opened over a loan deal including an option to buy.
Those discussions have since been paused following a court ruling that temporarily removed Pedrinho from control of the club's board, which has also stalled other transfer business at Vasco, including a move for defender Arthur Chaves. That puts Vasco ahead of the other Brazilian clubs merely exploring Cunha's situation; their interest had already advanced into concrete talks before external events intervened.
Vasco and Forest already have a working relationship this summer, having recently agreed a loan move for Cuiabano to join the Rio outfit, which could smooth the path for a second deal between the two clubs if the boardroom situation is resolved.
Cunha, who stands at 1.98m, joined Forest from Santos last July on a five-year contract and is valued by the club for his physicality and strength in the air, even if regular first-team football has proven hard to come by.
Vasco's need for defensive reinforcement is pressing, with the club in the lower reaches of the Campeonato Brasileiro table and looking to strengthen before the second half of the season. Executive Admar Lopes is understood to be exploring a legal route to keep talks alive despite the upheaval, with the club also searching for a new head coach after a move for Coritiba's Fernando Seabra stalled.
For Forest, any decision on Cunha's future is likely to hinge on assessing defensive options once pre-season is under way, with no urgency to sanction a departure despite his lack of regular minutes.