Nottingham Forest are delighted to announce the signings of Alfa Semedo and Yuri Ribeiro from Benfica.

The Portuguese duo have joined on a season-long loan and a permanent deal respectively and have become the club’s third and fourth signings of the summer window.

21-year-old defensive midfielder Semedo already has Champions League experience under his belt having played three times in the competition last season for Benfica.

Having graduated from Benfica’s academy in 2016, Semedo had successful spells with Portuguese sides Vilafranquense and Moreirense before he returned to the Estádio da Luz ready for the start of the 2018-19 campaign.

Perhaps the highlight of his career so far came in October 2018 when he scored the winner in Benfica’s 3-2 victory at AEK Athens in the group stage of the Champions League. Semedo spent the second half of the season on loan at Espanyol.

22-year-old defender Ribeiro progressed through the Benfica academy, before he spent the 2017-18 season on loan with Portuguese side Rio Ave where he made 25 appearances and scored one goal in the 2-0 victory over Boavista.

He joins Forest with Europa League experience to his name having featured in Benfica’s victories over Galatasaray and Dinamo Zagreb in the competition last season and has previously made appearances for Portugal Under 21s at international level.

The pair have now joined up with their new teammates for training before they depart for the pre-season trip to Greece at the end of this week.