Liverpool and Chelsea are battling to sign Nottingham Forest centre-back Murillo, according to Football Insider.
Murillo developed at the Corinthians academy before making the move to England, having managed only 13 appearances in the Campeonato Brasileiro prior to his departure.
Despite arriving with such limited top-flight experience, the Brazilian quickly established himself as an important part of Forest’s defence.
In his 120 appearances for the club, he has netted four goals while repeatedly producing crucial tackles, clearances and last-gasp defensive interventions, including a dramatic 97th-minute goal-line clearance to prevent Harry Maguire from scoring during Forest’s 1-0 victory in April 2025 and also denying Manchester City’s Savinho with another goal-line intervention to secure a 2-2 draw for the club last season.
Forest have found themselves involved in relegation battles during two of the previous three campaigns. Their difficult beginning to the current season, where they’ve won just one of their five games, has raised concerns that another battle for survival could follow and potentially cast further doubt over Murillo’s future.
As a result, interest in Murillo is beginning to brew, with Football Insider reporting that Liverpool and Chelsea have entered the race to sign the 24-year-old in 2027.
The report adds that the Reds are assessing a potential long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, while Chelsea are keen on reinforcing their squad, and both clubs are ready to splash the cash to sign him.
Battle
Providing further details on the interest in Murillo, transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke, speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, revealed the deal would be difficult, while Liverpool and Chelsea could also face competition from Manchester United
He said, ‘There will be a lot of competition for his services as well; Chelsea are long-term admirers of Murillo, and they could be tempted to make a move if he becomes available.
‘Liverpool have been linked with him as well in the past, and they could reignite that interest because of their issues at centre-back as well.
‘Murillo has been a previous target for Manchester United because of how well he’s done for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
‘It’ll be a really difficult deal to do because he only signed a new long-term deal last May to keep him at the City Ground until 2030.’
While the report does not reveal how much Forest could demand to sell Murillo, their English record sale of Elliot Anderson indicates the East Midlands outfit will hold out for a significant amount well above Murillo’s £42m Transfermarkt valuation to sanction his departure.
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