HIBERNIAN have announced the signing of Portuguese starlet Jair Tavares from Benfica.
The club say the terms of the transfer will remain undisclosed, and the 21-year-old winger has put pen-to-paper on a long-term deal that runs until the summer of 2026.
Tavares – cousin of Lille and Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches - progressed through the youth set-up at Benfica into their B Team.
During the 2021/22 campaign, he made 24 appearances for Benfica B in Liga Sabseg (the second-tier of Portuguese football), scoring four goals.
Alongside this, Taveres has been a regular in the Portugal youth set-up earning caps for the Under-15s, 16s, 17s, 18s and 19s.
Hibs manager Lee Johnson said: “Completing the deal to bring Jair to Hibernian FC is a real coup for this football club.
“He’s an incredibly talented winger that’ll not only improve our First Team squad, but is someone that has a lot of potential to develop into a top player in this league.
“Jair is an exciting, attacking talent that adds speed and trickery to our wide areas. We welcome him warmly to Hibs and look forward to working with him.
“I’d also like to thank the staff at Hibernian FC, Benfica, Jair’s father Adriano, and his agent for their work in getting this deal done.”
Head of recruitment Ian Gordon added: “It’s not often you are able to get a player of Jair’s quality for the terms agreed in this transfer.
“He’s a player we’ve monitored closely for a period of time and were able to take advantage of a specific clause in his contract. He is a real talent that’ll only get better.”
