Chelsea have reportedly been in touch with Nottingham Forest recently to ask about the potential transfer of Brazilian defender Murillo.
Murillo has impressed at Forest and looks like he could surely make the step up to a bigger club, though it’s not clear how advanced the interest from the Blues is.
According to Fabrizio Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside‘s The Debrief podcast, Chelsea made this enquiry for more information on Murillo a few weeks ago, so it’s perhaps unlikely that things have progressed since then if the reliable Italian journalist doesn’t have any other update to speak of at the moment.
Murillo could be ideal to help Chelsea replace the departing Thiago Silva in defence, but it remains to be seen if the 22-year-old will end up being their priority, or if they have other names they’re considering first.
If Chelsea don’t move for Murillo, one imagines there will surely be other clubs ready to join the race for his signature, with Liverpool recently also linked with the player by Football Insider, while there’s also been some interest from Tottenham, according to a recent report from football.london.
Murillo transfer: Fabrizio Romano discusses Chelsea interest
“For Murillo, there is interest from Chelsea,” Romano said. “Chelsea asked about information on the deal…it was two weeks ago.
“At the moment it’s not being discussed in terms of a proper negotiation, because it’s really expensive, probably around £55-60m, and for Chelsea this is too much.”
Chelsea fans will surely hope the club try their luck with this move, however, as Murillo arguably has the perfect blend of youth and experience for Enzo Maresca’s side.
This Chelsea ownership like to sign top young players, but Murillo also has the advantage of being proven in the Premier League, so it wouldn’t be as much of a gamble as some of their other less successful recent signings have been.