Liverpool manager Arne Slot just can’t leave Nottingham Forest alone and given how much the Reds are in his head, it’s not really a surprise.
Slot made a comical Forest claim ahead of Tuesday night’s draw with Liverpool. He then watched on as his side failed to beat Nuno Espirito Santo’s team for the second time this season.
Following the 1-0 win over Liverpool in September, Slot mentioned Forest at every opportunity. His team won at the San Siro against Milan shortly after and what did Slot do? Talk about Forest afterwards.
Slot did praise Chris Wood ahead of the game on Tuesday. The Forest man thanked the Liverpool boss for his kind words by getting the Reds off to a flyer after just eight minutes.
The Liverpool boss clearly has some kind of weird interest in Forest. After the most recent game between the two sides it’s now emerged that the Anfield giants are keen to sign another star player.
Liverpool want third Nottingham Forest player after previous interest
Liverpool have been linked with Elliot Anderson and Morgan Gibbs-White. Now, a third player from the City Ground ranks has been mentioned as a potential signing for the Reds in the summer.
According to Team Talk, Murillo is the latest player to be fancied by Liverpool. The club have an ongoing contract situation with Virgil van Dijk and alternatives are clearly being looked at.
Murillo dropped a big hint on his future after player superbly well for Forest against Liverpool. Indeed, given that the Reds want to sign him it perhaps wasn’t the great time to play quite so well from a Forest perspective.
The one positive thing is that Forest have offered Murillo a new contract. That suggests that the desire to keep him is strong and that he won’t be going anywhere on the cheap.
Manchester City considered signing Murillo before Forest swooped for the Corinthians player. Now, it looks as though clubs of that ilk – including Liverpool – will form an orderly queue in the summer.
Forest can keep Murillo on one condition
As much as it would be nice, Forest fans will be under no illusions that Murillo won’t be spending his entire career at the City Ground. Ultimately, the challenge is to get the very best deal when the time does come to cash in.
In the short term, however, there is a genuine situation where Forest could keep Murillo. If the club qualifies for European football next season, surely the prospect of keeping the Brazilian will be far more realistic.
It’s no secret that the left-footed defender wants to play in the European competitions. At 22-years-old, he has time on his side and surely if qualification is secured, there is a genuine chance that Murillo will stay.
Liverpool’s interest is likely to be genuine. If nothing else, being interested in Murillo will at least allow Forest to stay firmly in Slot’s head for a little while longer as he hunts down a maiden Premier League title.
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