Chelsea have reignited their interest in Nottingham Forest defender Murillo, according to journalist Gianluigi Longari.
The Sportitalia reporter wrote in X that there have been “new recent contacts” between the Blues and Forest regarding the Brazilian.
It is believed that talks about Murillo were held earlier in the summer but the decision was made not to proceed with negotiations.
The main issue was thought to be Forest’s valuation of the centre-back. Some reports have suggested that they are holding out for as much as £70m.
Considering Nuno Espirito Santo’s side spent €12m (£10m) to bring him in from Corinthians last year, that is a substantial mark-up in the space of twelve months.
Murillo is keen on leaving Forest
The defender has not been shy in saying that he is interested in moving to a bigger club but, speaking earlier this month, he omitted Chelsea when asked to name which teams he would like to join:
“There might be some discussions on whether I’ll stay or not so there’s a lot of things to happen still but I’m relaxed… I’d choose Manchester City but it would be more difficult for me to be a regular starter given the players they have in their squad.”
“There’s City, Arsenal as well, who are fighting for the Premier League title. I wouldn’t discard Liverpool either, it would be a good opportunity for me to show my football in a big club.”
Even at the time when he made those remarks, Chelsea’s interest was known, so the fact that he doesn’t mention the Blues may irk some supporters.
Do Chelsea need another centre-half?
Enzo Maresca’s side have already brought in Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer this summer. The 26-year-old joins the likes of Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile as options in the centre of defence.
With that in mind, it is somewhat surprising that the club are continuing to pursue Murillo too, especially when they know his asking price is pretty excessive.
