Chelsea are reportedly leading the race ahead of Manchester United and Liverpool to sign Nottingham Forest star Murillo, as per TEAMtalk.
The Blues currently have Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, and Jorrel Hato as options to deploy on the left side of the centre-back position. Moreover, Trevoh Chalobah and Mamadou Sarr can provide cover in this position if needed.
However, Colwill has been ruled out for this season, having sustained a serious knee injury during pre-season. Moreover, Hato has taken time to settle into the Premier League’s physicality thus far, while Badiashile has struggled to find his feet in the English top-flight.
So, it appears the West London club have started exploring options to sign a new left-footed centre-back. TEAMtalk claim that Chelsea are showing a serious interest in signing Murillo and have conducted extensive groundwork for this deal over the last 12 months.
However, Murillo’s recent eye-catching performances in the Premier League have also attracted Liverpool’s attention, and they have done comparable due diligence over this deal.
Although the Merseyside club have already bought Jeremy Jacquet, they are looking for another defender as Joe Gomez has been struggling with fitness problems, while Virgil Van Dijk is set to enter his mid 30s. Furthermore, Ibrahima Konate could leave as a free agent at the end of this season.
Battle
On the other hand, Man Utd are planning to sign three Forest stars this summer, with Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White alongside Murillo on their radar. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich are all in this race, but Chelsea are currently leading the chase.
Although the Brazilian’s existing deal is set to run until 2029, Forest are increasingly likely to cash-in on him this summer if they receive an offer of at least £60m. Murillo is even prepared to leave to take the next step in his career.
Murillo is a left-footed centre-back but is also efficient in the left-back position. He is quick, extremely comfortable playing out from the back, is efficient in taking long-range shots, and is also efficient in defensive contributions. Although the South American isn’t the tallest, he is extremely strong and good in the air.
The 23-year-old is one of the best young defenders in the Premier League and could be a shrewd acquisition for Chelsea should they purchase him by defeating other Premier League clubs in this race.
