Nottingham Forest managed to come through the summer transfer window relatively unscathed when it came to losing top-quality players.
When the curtain came down on the 2023/24 campaign, Forest fans might have felt like they were waving goodbye to the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White and Murillo.
However, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis hasn’t spent the amount of time he has in football without developing some strict business acumen.
He decided that keeping Gibbs-White and Murillo would excite the fan base and give Forest a strong platform to build from during the 2024/25 campaign.
Instead, the club offloaded Moussa Niakhate, Orel Mangala and Odysseas Vlachodimos to ensure that PSR guidelines were met and a point deduction was avoided.
Still, Forest fans will understand the club’s position in the food chain and there is little chance of the interest in Murillo and Gibbs-White going away.
Chelsea still want Nottingham Forest star Murillo
The 22-year-old has been scouted by a number of top clubs since he came to the City Ground from Corinthians last summer.
Murillo has been ever-present in the Premier League since he made his debut in October 2023 against Brentford on home soil.
He’s grown as a player and now it’s claimed that Chelsea are still keen to sign Forest star Murillo, according to Si Phillips Talks Chelsea.
It’s claimed in the article that Chelsea wanted to sign Murillo this summer but were put off by the £70 million valuation that Forest placed on him.
The Brazilian was deemed too expensive by Sunday’s opponents for Forest but they are continuing to monitor him should anything change.
Murillo is high on Chelsea’s list of transfer targets with the club keen to sign another central defender in the next two transfer windows.
Jamie Redknapp raved about Murillo last season
When Murilo played superbly well against Brentford last season he kept his place for a goalless draw with Crystal Palace that was televised on Sky Sports.
Redknapp had not seen the player perform before and admitted that he was impressed with Murillo, calling him ‘quality’ for his Forest efforts.
It set the tone for the type of defender he is. Murillo produced a number of mazy runs from deep in that game and he’s not short of confidence.
The youngster isn’t without imperfections but ultimately, he’s a seriously talented boy and it’s only natural that clubs will monitor him.
Chelsea might be disappointed if they’re hoping the price will decrease, however, and another year of Premier League football could see his value soar even higher.
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